True Confessions
by Kuroneko19
Summary: "I am not a toy." She shut herself from the world and successfully lived her charade, those on the outside never knowing. When she entered a world different from her own, she never expected her mask to shatter... Hikaru/OC/Kaoru
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**__ Konnichiwa, mina-san! I am Kuroneko, but you can call me K-chan. ^_^_

_**Ouran HSHC**__ is anime I've recently been introduced to, and have subsequently fallen in love with. While I am also of the __**Slayers**__ fan fiction community, I have decided to try my hand at __**Ouran**__ fan fiction as well._

_The setting for this fic takes places in the anime continuity, the school year following. There is only one major OC for this fic – Rin Tamashizaki – along with a few supporting. I strive to keep everyone as in character as possible. If any characters appear too OOC or if something stands out, please let me know._

_Let me know what you all think! All questions, comments, and/or suggestions welcome. _

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from _Ouran HSHC_. I just like to write. ^_^

* * *

**True Confessions**  
By Kuroneko

_"Man needs, for his happiness, not only the enjoyment of this or that, but hope and enterprise and change."_  
– Bertrand Russel

**Chapter 1: A Need for Change**

It was after the Festival, after the insanity, after fighting to keep Tamaki in Japan that realization suddenly dawned on them: things would be the same, but they were going to be different.

It was an oxymoron, but a fitting one for their situation. Haruhi Fujioka would still be there, would still be their friend, and would still pretend to be a boy. Inconceivably, even after the Ouran Festival no one connected the girl dancing with all of them as being the Haruhi of the Host Club. It caused them to give heavy consideration to the powers of observation (or lack thereof) of the student body, their self-proclaimed manger Renge included.

Late autumn faded into the cold winter, and the Ouran Hosts kept their lovely princesses warm. Different fires kindled, unnoticed by some, recognized by others. Some warmed; others burned. When winter transitioned into spring, many of those fires died while others remained ignited. Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka and his cousin, Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka, graduated after that school year and headed directly into Ouran University, which was conveniently located quite nearby, thus enabling them to continuation participating in club activities whenever they would be able to get a chance. Some of their guests remained and many would leave, having graduated as well. The inevitable newcomers would arrive and the devilish duo would sweep some of them away, leading them into confusion and the twisted fantasy, yet still for them a fire did not kindle.

There was nothing to burn them in that way. There was nothing to warm them. The Hitachiin twins were left in the proverbial cold.

No one would have ever guessed it, of course. They were masters of concealment, having refined their acting abilities throughout their lives. Forbidden brotherly love was the crux of their act, sending their loyal customers into swoons and shrieks of delight. They appeared to revel in the reactions, playing up their antics and resorting to the usual pranks and games. Everyone was judged by their appearances, and keeping up appearances was what Hikaru and Kaoru were all about; the world was a stage, and they were the actors.

But that incident with Tamaki practically left the writing on the wall, and it felt like they were destined to head back to square one. There was no mistaking the emotions the twins felt whenever Haruhi was around them. Even if one of them was barely able to register the meaning of those feelings, it still made no difference that the sharp pain was real. It wasn't just that Tamaki Suoh was actually going to leave them and disband the one thing that had finally made them happy.

It was the fact that _Haruhi_ had been the one to bring him back to them.

Kaoru pondered the events of the previous school year for the umpteenth time that morning. Their second year of high school hadn't even begun yet before he started to think. Of the two of them, he was probably the most philosophical; Hikaru, despite being the elder twin, was more given to acting purely out of emotion and seldom took the time to consider things.

That was Hikaru's whole problem, and Kaoru knew it all too well. Even when given the opportunity, Hikaru had been unable to recognize his own emotions, consequently messing up with his characteristically brash actions. Now with the opportunity very near to being gone entirely, he wasn't certain what would fill up the hole that was surely growing from within.

Tricks, pranks, the "Which One Is Hikaru?" game… the act was a fine stabilizer, but how long until the support finally gave out? Haruhi would still be their friend no matter what her relationship with Tamaki turned out – they both knew that. But friendship wasn't the issue.

'_It turned back into a pumpkin, didn't it?'_ he wondered, watching the scenery pass by as their limo cruised along. _'We almost had a carriage, but it turned back into a pumpkin. I knew this was going to happen.'_ He sighed heavily.

"Hey, Kaoru?" His older twin's concerned voice drew him reluctantly from his thoughts and he turned from the window. The golden orbs staring back at him were full of anxiety. Kaoru quirked a grin.

"I'm alright. I'm just thinking, that's all," he said, stretching his lanky body a little before relaxing and returning his gaze to the passing trees and houses. "It's going to be a whole new year."

"Yeah," Hikaru said, his voice of mixture of excitement and slight disappointment. Kaoru noticed this immediately.

"Worried?" He looked over lazily, allowing the mischief to wander into his own golden eyes. Hikaru smirked.

"No. What's there to worry about? We're going to be mobbed by first-year guests," he said nonchalantly. "They have absolutely no idea what they're in for… It'll be a nice change to see what we can pull over them."

"Yeah…" Kaoru agreed, looking out the window as the academy came into view. "Change would be nice."

Change was something they would need, he secretly thought. With any luck this new school year and the new students would bring something – some_one_ he dared to think – that would turn things upside down more than the Ouran Host Club already did, and another pumpkin would spring up before turning into a coach. Maybe they'd find a challenge. Or maybe they'd just create some extra mayhem.

They _were_ the infamous Hitachiin twins, after all.

**…**

Ouran Academy was larger than Rin had anticipated. Much larger. She'd rather assumed it was the size of a mall or so, but she hadn't counted on the enormity of the place! It was monstrous!

And elegant! Her first glance through the double-doors as a set of female students in their yellow dress uniforms walked through only confirmed one of two things: either she was dreaming or she'd gotten the wrong school. There was no possible way that the guaranteed stately halls, the grand staircases, and the chandeliers she swore she saw overhead were part of the academy she'd (miraculously) successfully gained admission into.

No, this was Ouran Academy, no doubt about it. It was almost too much for her to take in. Her old public school was a forgotten churchyard clutched in the vestiges of lonely winter and bitter war in comparison to the luxury unfolding before her.

'_Working-class kid makes good,'_ she joked bitterly to herself, shrugging her bag over her shoulder as it began to slide. She looked down at her class schedule. She was a second-year student coming into a new school at the beginning of the new term. Gone was the public school system, gone were the bland days of surpassing all her peers; today marked the advent of a new life… didn't it?

"_You can do anything you set your mind to. And with a mind like yours, you're bound to have fun!"_

Rin stumbled at the sudden memory. Looking up at the school again, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt about everything.

'_It's ironic, isn't it,'_ she thought with bitter amusement as she stopped at the front steps. _'I've finally made it this far and it's for all the wrong reasons.'_

Taking in a deep breath and releasing it along with the anxiety she knew she was holding back, Rin shrugged her bag over her shoulder as the strap began to slide down again and winced as it hit her side. _'I really should have wrapped this.'_

Shaking her head, she looked up and walked up the stair and through the double-doors. It would be different this year, she was certain. So much had changed and very little was the same. And now it was coming down to this.

"_Just try to enjoy yourself,"_ Yamanouchi had said. _"I know you're under a lot of stress, but this is high school – you're supposed to have fun! Try not to worry so much. It'll be just fine. Trust me."_

She'd been reminding herself of that conversation every day since they'd had it.

'_I'm gonna have fun,'_ she told herself firmly. _'I'm not gonna worry. I'm gonna have fun.'_

"Here it goes, Mom," she muttered under her breath. "Wish me luck."


	2. Chapter 2

"_What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expect generally happens."  
_– Benjamin Disraeli

**Chapter 2: Magnetic Distraction**

Kyoya Ōtori pushed his glasses up his nose, the light gleaming off the lenses for a split second before he cast another irritated glance over at his friend.

'_Again I have to ask myself, how does he rope me into these things?'_

There was a logical explanation to it all, of course. For once, Kyoya could understand Tamaki Suoh's actions since the previous day. The last time King of Ouran Host Club had been asked to "take care" of a young woman had ended in near-disaster, said incident being the near absolution of the Host Club and Tamaki almost being whisked off to France.

Kyoya shared some of his friend's apprehension. He'd been visiting the Suoh mansion the morning was attempting to drown out Tamaki's ranting about the new school year so he could focus on his estimations for club costs when Yuzuru Suoh requested that Tamaki "take care" of a scholarship student he'd decided to admit into Ouran Academy. After the chairman of the Academy left, Kyoya had had to shove aside his work in order to reassure the then half-panicking Tamaki that he would be there with him to greet the girl.

To emphasize his point, he automatically launched into his standard research routine, Tamaki leaning over his shoulder the entire time. Said information now resided in one of his omnipresent black notebooks, which he decided to peer at once again.

Rin Tamashizaki – a fairly uncommon name. Ouran Academy didn't have any young ladies with name "Rin" currently in attendance. The girl herself also came across as uncommon; for starters, she was a newly accepted scholarship student _entering her second year of high school_. That little tidbit of information had caused Kyoya to raise an eyebrow. Since when did Chairman Suoh feel the need to pull strings for a commoner? In particular one who was registered as lower class and without any ties to speak of? What sort of benefit was there to this exercise?

After discovering that the Tamashizaki girl was not part of a company looking to buy anyone out, Tamaki had calmed down considerably but Kyoya only became more absorbed in what he was finding. The more he read of the minimal information in her developing school profile the more intrigued he became.

Unfortunately his hunger for continued fact-finding went temporarily unsatisfied as the new school year called for more pressing issues. Like the club's finances, for instance…

That morning, he'd printed out his minimal information and inserted into its own little notebook, placed alongside the countless others he'd accumulated over the years. He'd looked at it while riding in his personal limo, and now he was looking down at it again while awaiting the arrival of Ouran's new, currently second scholarship student.

"_Kyoyaaaaa_," Tamaki whined, leaning heavily against the third son of the Ōtori family's shoulder. "May I see her picture again, _pleeeaaaase_?"

"Haven't you seen her picture enough times already?" Kyoya snapped the notebook shut in irritation. "It hasn't been altered, I assure you."

"But what if I've already forgotten what she looks like?" the blond third-year wailed. "Oh, how horrible would it be if she had already passed by and I hadn't greeted her? How could I possibly call myself a Host?"

Kyoya groaned inwardly. He was glad to still have Tamaki here, no doubt about it, but it didn't dull those frequent sudden urges to throttle the idiot.

With a quick movement, Rin Tamashizaki's folder was opened once more. Tamaki pored over the printed photograph, every inch of his face fixated in comic concentration. Kyoya looked down at the familiar photograph as well, though not quite as intently. He'd already memorized her appearance; the photograph depicted the girl from the year prior, her dark auburn, almost brown, hair reaching just past her shoulders in slight waves, shining a dull copper color in the flash. Her eyes were a dark blue-green, teal he supposed, large and intelligent. Her skin was quite possibly paler than that of even Umehito Nekozawa or the Hitachiin twins, a perfect contrast to the black and white sailor uniform of her previous high school.

Not bad, but nothing to go insane over. The only thing interesting to Kyoya was the amount of information he _hadn't_ uncovered yet. Until then, he was stuck waiting for this new girl alongside his best, albeit warped friend, who was still poring over Rin Tamashizaki's file.

**…**

The limousine pulled up to the gate of Ouran Academy's elaborate gates, and the two redheaded teens stepped into the morning sunlight.

"Well, here we are," Hikaru said cheerfully.

"Yup," Kaoru agreed, not bothering to look over his shoulder as the limo pulled away. "New year, new students, new guests…"

"… new toys."

Kaoru raised his eyebrow at that last remark. Toys. So, he'd gone back to _that_ train of thought again. Typical. It seemed to be Hikaru's way of dealing with his emotions: become possessive, and manipulate things to his liking, not all that differently from Tamaki.

And, like Tamaki, when things didn't go as he wanted, Hikaru's emotions often got the better of him.

Correction: _always_ got the better of him.

Kaoru sighed mentally. Come to think of it, even _he_ liked the idea of a new "toy". Maybe it wasn't the nicest thought in the world, but it would be nice to find someone new to "play" with.

'_And keep them…'_ he added to himself.

There was a light touch on his forehead which snapped him out of his musings. Hikaru's eyes were glinting with their usual mischief.

"Tag! You're 'It'!" he said with a laugh, and darted across the courtyard.

Kaoru blinked but began to laugh and took off like a shot after his brother. It may have been childish, but it was great way to start the school year. Maybe they'd run into Haruhi before having to report to class.

**…**

"Whoa…" Rin couldn't help but gasp as she took in her surroundings. _'This place is really a _school_?'_

The view she'd received before walking through the double-doors hadn't been deceiving: the main hall was enormous, easily holding the swarming students, their chatter echoing and reaching the high ceiling where overhead she saw the glittering chandeliers. Along the walls were excellent paintings, though whether they were rendered by students or professionals she had absolutely no idea. Exquisite was a word that could definitely be applied here.

She stood stock-still to take it all in. She'd seen Ouran Academy from the front gates but never on the inside. She realized suddenly that perhaps she ought to have taken up the chairman's offer for a personal escort around the campus before the new term. Maybe she wouldn't have been in such a state of culture shock.

'_Can you see all this, Mom? It's even ritzier than we'd imagined! I wonder if everything in the bathrooms is automatic.'_ She snickered to herself. _'I sounded like Mi-chan right there. If she were here, that'd be the first place she looked into, hehe!'_

The thought of her sister brought down a slight wave of sadness.

"_Nee-chan!"_

She shook herself mentally. Her sister wasn't here. Nobody was here. They didn't care, and the only one who _had_ was no longer around.

That was the whole damn problem, now wasn't it?

"_Kyoyaaaaa!_" She was startled out of her thoughts by someone's loud wailing. She cast a curious glance in the direction of the commotion and stared as a tall young blond clung and harped to another equally tall student with glasses and jet-black hair and looking rather vexed at his companion's actions.

'_Talk about overacting,'_ she thought with a sweat drop, but felt herself crack a little smile. _'I guess all these rich people can afford to act weird. I wonder if they're _all_ as loony as that guy.'_

**…**

"Hey, Hikaru, wait up!"

"Catch me if you can, Kaoru!" the elder Hitachiin twin taunted, turning around to stick his tongue out at his younger brother as he ran.

It was at that moment, in one of those inexplicable twists of anime fate, a banana peel was casually tossed aside and in the direct path of the backwards-running Hikaru Hitachiin. He never saw it, he never expected it. One moment, he was taunting his brother. The next? He was waving his arms wildly, yelling and turning around, totally unable to stop.

She heard the yell and turned only a split second before she was sent flying backwards onto the cold marble floor with a yelp, the impact causing the pain of her cracked ribs to shoot through her body.

In the middle of his scrutinizing over the new girl's picture, Tamaki was interrupted by the sound of hollering and someone letting out a yelp before he and Kyoya caught sight of a familiar lanky redhead doppelganger falling onto another person with a crash.

'_Right in the ribs!'_ Rin squeezed her eyes shut and breathed inwardly with a loud hiss. The weight on top her let out a slight moan. Opening her eyes again, she found a pair of golden catlike eyes set in a pale face looking back at her a little perplexedly.

"Are you all right?" their owner asked. Perplexity was promptly overridden by slight concern, intermingled with evident embarrassment.

She narrowed her eyes at the boy atop her. Ordinarily a person might be flattered to have someone asking if they were okay, but Rin wasn't much one given to normalcy. A quick glance determined he was rather attractive, but _that_ didn't change the fact that his weight wasn't doing favors to her currently throbbing ribs. "Fine, thanks, but would you mind getting off me?"

"Huh?" Perplexity overtook his face again and he looked down, a slight blush rapidly spreading across his pale face. She could understand his reaction – put literally, he had her pinned. If it wasn't for the fact she was incognito, this might have been chalked up as being highly suggestive.

He sat back on his heels, crimson still staining his cheeks as she sat up a little, wincing as she did so. _'Yeah, I knew I should have wrapped this.'_

The boy could have sworn he caught the scent of cherry blossoms just then.

"Hikaru!" she looked over the boy's shoulder and found an identical copy of him dashing through the doors, looking very much concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Kaoru," said the one called Hikaru, looking over his shoulder to give him a slightly embarrassed grin.

The one apparently named Kaoru raised his eyebrow at his doppelganger's current position.

"Don't worry, he had a soft landing," Rin quipped, giving him her own lopsided grin. "I can't say the same for myself, however." At her last statement, she gave Hikaru a meaningful look, which prompted him to jump up and lend her a hand.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, the blush still plastered on his face.

She leaned over and grabbed her bag from the floor, ignoring the sudden realization that her own face felt quite warm. Straightening out a bit, she looked up at him (he was certainly taller than she was, she now realized) with a slight smile and said, "It's okay, but next time you might want to watch where you're going."

"That's my brother for you," the one called Kaoru said, throwing an arm around the one called Hikaru. "He _never_ pays attention to his surroundings."

She just barely caught the mischievous glint in Hikaru's eye before he raised a hand to touch his twin brother's face. "That's because I'm usually too busy paying attention to _you_, Kaoru."

Catching on, Kaoru put his other arm around Hikaru. "Oh, Hikaru, I was sorry worried something had happened to you! Was I really _that_ distracting?"

She clutched the strap of her bag in bewilderment as the two continued; wild shrieks and swoons erupted from the disturbingly large crowd of mostly girls that had suddenly gathered round. Somewhere in the midst of all the ruckus,she could have sworn she heard a girl yelling ecstatically, "Now _this_ is the way to start the new school year! I'm so happy I could eat three bowls of rice!"

She backed away slowly before dashing towards the red-carpeted stairs.

'_Okay, just what the heck have I gotten myself into, Mom? Rich people really _are_ wackos! Again, I ask, is this _really_ a _school_‽'_

**…**

"Well, it's nice to see that you two never change," Tamaki said pleasantly as he and Kyoya made their way up to the twins, much to the ecstasy of the Host Club fan girls.

"How could we _possibly_ have changed?" Hikaru asked with sarcasm, his arms linked around his brother's neck.

"Yeah, Boss; it's only been two days since you last saw us," Kaoru added, his arms around Hikaru's waist.

"Never mind that," said Kyoya, pushing his glasses up his nose once more. "While it's nice to see the both of you again, did either of you happen to see where that young man Hikaru knocked over ran off to?"

Confusion etched its way onto the twins' faces. Then the image of a person with messy ash blond hair dressed in slacks and an oversized navy sweater and carrying a black messenger bag came to mind. Upon looking around and not finding the boy, they shrugged their shoulders.

"Nope," they said in unison.

"Hmm… odd," remarked Kyoya, making a note in a completely different black notebook. "I've never seen him before."

"Maybe he's a new student," the twins suggested, now unlatched from each other, to the dismay of the crowd.

"Well, we don't have time for a new _male_ student," Tamaki said, brushing his bangs from his now sparkling violet eyes. "We're looking for a new _female_ student."

"Oh?" The twins looked at one another suspiciously before they allowed their gaze to slide back onto the Host Club King.

"Rin Tamashizaki." Kyoya placed his file under their noses to show them the girl's picture. "She's a new scholarship student. A second-year transfer, apparently."

"That's pretty unusual," Kaoru remarked. "Aren't scholarships usually accepted for first-year students only?"

"Yeah, since when did they let _that_ sort of thing happen?" Hikaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not certain yet," Kyoya admitted. "However, Tamaki's been instructed to greet her and show her around. As a result, he's turned this into a bit of a new activity."

"Oh, so _that's_ why you're here."

"Yes, we're here to welcome our own new princess!" Tamaki gushed. "And as soon as we find Miss Rin Tamashizaki, she'll be given an open invitation to visit the Ouran Host Club!"

"Tamaki-sempai, will the Host Club be open this afternoon?" one of the girls called out.

In response, the sparkles and rose petals somehow appeared as Tamaki turned up the charm full volume as he announced for all to hear, "Yes, of course! The Ouran Host Club activities begin at the end of the day as usual!"

**…**

Rin froze mid-step on the stairs. For a moment, she thought she'd heard someone mention her name.

A loud and raucous cheer shook her eardrums violently. No, she couldn't _possibly_ have heard her name. With her school files having been altered, no one looking for her would be able to make the comparison. She had to give Chairman Suoh credit: it was a pretty good little compromise they'd come up with.

She still a bit suspicious as to why he'd agreed to help her, though.

She was so consumed in her thoughts that, in searching for the restroom, she'd almost entered the one designated for ladies out of habit. Retracting her hand from the door, she stepped back and looked around to find the gentleman's restroom door across the hall.

When she walked in she gave a heavy sigh of relief before entering one of the stalls, feeling somewhat winded from climbing all the stairs. She made a mental note that everything in this school must have consisted of gold, marble, and who knew what other expensive materials.

Amusingly enough, everything really _was_ automatic.

A moment later, while washing her hands (the sink and soup dispenser also being automatic, she discovered), she looked up into the flawless mirror surrounded by ivy made of gold and examined her reflection with grim satisfaction.

It was almost too easy, this little stunt. Her hair color from last year's school photo had been a temporary dye job that faded a little over a month afterward. The messy ash blonde in the mirror was just another bottled color; it had been well over a year or so since she'd last seen her real hair color. Her hair was a lot shorter and no longer styled up nicely.

Her eyes weren't the same, either. They were that same dark blue-green, though probably no longer quite so friendly or naïve. No, she could see the edge in them…

She shook her head and put her hands under the automatic blow-drier, giving a bit of a start as the warm air hit them. She could still feel her ribs throbbing. Between falling onto the marble floor and dashing up those ridiculous stairs, she was wholeheartedly regretting not wrapping them up before she left home.

Grabbing her bag, she exited the restroom, having to mutter a hasty apology as she nearly ran into a black-cloaked figure with a bizarre catlike puppet on one hand.

Umehito Nekozawa gave Belzenef an inquiring look before gazing at the retreating backside of the person who'd just emerged from the restroom.

Had it been his imagination, or had he smelled cherry blossoms as the boy walked by?

**…**

Several minutes later, after hearing the bell and having to ask several teachers for directions, Rin found herself standing outside of Class 2-A.

'_This is it. Wish me luck, Mom. I'm gonna need it.'_

She opened the door and walked inside, the door closing gently behind her. All around students were chatting, catching up with each other from the sound of it. Behind her desk in the corner opposite from where the sore student stood was the teacher, who was looking up intermittently in-between jotting down notes.

'_Must be taking attendance or doing a headcount or something,'_ she thought as the teacher finally noticed her presence.

"Rin Tamashizaki?" The teacher looked to her inquiringly. She nodded in assertion, much to the teacher's evident relief. "I'm very glad to meet you. I'm Chinatsu Ito. May I see your papers?"

Relieved at having found the right class, Rin reached into her messenger bag and promptly handed over the papers she and the chairman had "gone over" last week.

Mrs. Ito looked from Rin's papers to her own, nodding in satisfaction. "Excellent, excellent." She looked up and gave Rin a pleased smile. "It's so nice to have you here with us, Rin-chan. Please, take a seat. Class will begin shortly."

Rin scanned over the classroom, making certain not to make any eye contact with the stares she was currently receiving. She had to suppress her surprise upon finding the set of twins that had barreled over her in the very back row, now staring at her quite intently

And the only empty seat just happened to be in front of the boy sitting in-between them.

'Those_ two again? Wonderful! And they just _have_ to be sitting on either side of that boy – wait, _boy_?'_ Rin raised a mental eyebrow as she considered the person she'd soon be sitting in front of. _'She isn't a boy…'_

**…**

At the name "Rin Tamashizaki", Hikaru and Kaoru looked up abruptly and found the "boy" Hikaru had accidentally knocked over earlier now standing at the teacher's desk, head hanging low under the stares "he" was currently receiving, courtesy of the other students.

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged glances as the "boy" walked towards them.

"Excuse me?"

They looked up to find their subject now speaking to Haruhi, who'd looked up from her book in surprise to being addressed.

"Could you tell me if anyone's taken this seat yet?" Rin asked.

"Oh, no," Haruhi replied pleasantly. "Go ahead."

Rin gave her a timid smile as "he" sat. "Thanks."

"I've never seen you here before," Haruhi said, attempting to strike up a conversation. "I'm Haruhi Fujioka. I'm a scholarship student here."

"Rin Tamashizaki," the newcomer returned pleasantly. "I'm also here on a scholarship."

"Wow, that must've been really hard, considered you're a second-year," Haruhi remarked, clearly impressed. "I didn't think Ouran was accepting transfer students."

"Well, technically they're not," Rin admitted, surprised at how easy it was talking to the other girl. _'Maybe it's because I can see right through her. I wonder if she can see through me…'_ She grinned weakly. "I guess you could say I got really lucky when the chairman let me take the entrance exams."

"I'll say," said Haruhi. "By the way, how were the entrance exams for you? I thought they were pretty tough."

"Yeah, they were," Rin agreed. "Especially this one section about –"

"All right, everyone, please settle down," Mrs. Ito interrupted. "It's time to begin class. Please, turn to page…"

Class droned on as it normally would have, the instructor welcoming everyone back for a new term before giving a lecture, and the students jotting down notes. Ordinarily Hikaru and Kaoru would have pestered Haruhi incessantly just to cause a distraction, but today they had their minds occupied.

Kyoya-sempai had said Rin Tamashizaki was a girl, and had even shown them the picture to prove her existence. But the Rin Tamashizaki sitting _before_ them…

Baggy sweater, ill-fitting black slacks, brown shoes, short messy hair, a totally androgynous appearance, and a voice that wasn't quite masculine… It reminded them of a similar experience exactly one year ago.

"Is it just me –" Kaoru began, giving his twin a sidelong glance behind Haruhi's back as Mrs. Ito wrote on the marker board.

"– or do you get the feeling of déjà vu?" Hikaru whispered back.

Two sets of golden eyes slid over to the seat in front of Haruhi, locking onto the subject who was currently jotting down notes in a slim notebook, only looking up occasionally. Rin Tamashizaki. That was an androgynous name, which didn't help them out any.

Hikaru's mind went back to earlier. He could have _sworn_ he smelled cherry blossoms when Rin had sat up after being knocked down. Boys didn't smell like cherry blossoms. Not _real_ boys, anyway.

Was this the same Rin Tamashizaki that Tamaki and Kyoya had been searching for?

**…**

In his office, Chairman Yuzuru Suoh scratched his head while looking at his expensive Pineapple desktop computer.

"I know I'm forgetting something…" he muttered to himself. "But what?"

He looked at the papers on his desk, and then a name caught his eye.

"Oh, that's right!" he exclaimed, remembering. "I meant to switch that girl's files out this morning. Silly me."

With a few keystrokes and the correct passwords, he accomplished his task and leaned back in his leather computer chair, grinning smugly.

"There, now. All finished. Hopefully things will play out for the better." He looked out his window and the grin grew even wider. "After what those kids did during the festival, I think they should be able to handle something like this."

* * *

_**A/N: **__Despite it being cold and drizzly all day long, the night with all the bright lights was actually quite pretty. Amazing where we draw our inspiration from. ^_^_

_Thank you to _SnOandZnT_ for answering my question about Nekozawa. That helps a lot. ^_^ _


	3. Chapter 3

"_The only certainty is that nothing is certain."_  
– Pliny the Elder

**Chapter 3: Charade**

Four days had passed since that fateful first day of school. By the time the bell for "noontime recess" (which Rin had assessed to be a rich person's way of saying "lunch") had rung and the students started milling towards the refectory (yet another fancy word, this one meaning "cafeteria") that Friday, Rin had to violently fight back the urge to bolt out of the school like a shot. Those redheaded twins had been staring at her every day from the moment she'd sat in front of Haruhi Fujioka, their golden catlike eyes boring into her. They stalked her through the halls and followed her to every class. It made concentration difficult and it made keeping up her façade even harder than it should have been.

It wasn't their continuous watch that had made it so unnerving – in her previous schools, staring and muttering behind her back had been ritualistic torture that had over the years slowly died down into ordinary bothers. _That_ kind of thing was ordinary. _This_ was different. She had an image to keep up with and, although no one would have been able to guess it, the idea that they'd somehow readily figured her out had plagued her all morning.

What if they knew? Would they hold it over her? Who would they tell? Worse yet, how much influence did they have? What if they had "connections"?

That train of thought spiraled downward, each idea descending her lower and lower into a chasm of panic and paranoia beneath her calm demeanor, until at last she discovered her anxieties not to be unfounded. During a brief break in-between classes on the first day, when an entire group of students (mostly girls, to her surprise) surrounded her to chat, one boy told her that some of the lower-level students at Ouran were the children of Yakuza syndicate leaders, a fact of which Rin was very well aware, and had made it a point to outright such individuals at all costs. One in particular, a guy named Ritsu Kasanoda, was actually very well acquainted with Haruhi Fujioka. Not only that, but Haruhi was also a _very_ close friend of Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, the pair of redheaded twins who hadn't let her out of their sight.

Then the girls (who had taken to fawning over her "so _soft_!" hair, much to her chagrin) told her about something called the Host Club. Rin had heard about those; the people that went into the club she worked at had discussed host (and hostess) clubs quite a bit. She was stunned to hear such a thing existed even in a _high school_ (even a rich person's), but she kept her shock well hidden. She'd been trained in the art of concealment, which made the charade easier to accomplish up to this point. To her unseen relief, _this_ Host Club was basically just a bunch of guys cosplaying and entertaining their paying female clients and nothing more – in other words, a "host club", but without any of those "off-to-the-side" engagements. A nice idea, she supposed, but it made her even happier to have come up with this stunt she'd concocted with Yamanouchi and presented to the chairman – it sounded like all new female students were instantly whisked away to this little club as some form of initiation!

'_A better initiation than anything _I've_ ever been through,' _she thought bitterly to herself. She'd seen initiations, all right, and being bombarded by the "King" of the Host Club, Tamaki-sempai, as the girls gushed, sounded like a walk in the park (a well-reputed park in broad daylight, to be more precise)!

But the daily gushing of information only continued to lead her further and further into her panicked state of mind, and by the end of the week Rin had come to several terrifying revelations in regards to the Host Club: "Tamaki-sempai" wasn't just an ordinary student, even by Ouran standards – he was Tamaki _Suoh_, Chairman Suoh's own _son_! As if that wasn't enough, the vice-president of the club was Kyoya Ōtori, the feared and all-knowing third son of the Ōtori family, often referred to as the Shadow King, and his family had an _entire_ _private police_ _force _behind them! And the eldest members, a set of cousins called named Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka and Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka, were expert fighters, the latter being a national kendo champion!

But worst of all, far and wide the worst possible news she could have received at that moment, was that the Hitachiin twins and Haruhi Fujioka were the youngest members of the Ouran Host Club.

On the outside, Rin was the politely listening young man – the very face of rapt attention, countering with interested questions in all the appropriate places. On the inside, however, she was shaking as several horrifying calculations took place in her head: Haruhi Fujioka was wonderfully pleasant (and female, of that Rin was certain), but she was nigh untouchable being connected to those golden-eyed twin demons who had been staring every single day without fail. And connected to _them_ were the chairman's son, the third son to a family that owned a good number of hospitals in the area, and a set of cousins with impressive martial arts training.

Her fears had been confirmed in a span of less than ten-to-fifteen minutes of thinking after the third day: these _were_ people with influence. Just that fact that the Host Club's "King" was Chairman Yuzuru Suoh's own _son_ made her stomach twist into knots. He'd never mentioned that tidbit of information! How often did he confide in this Tamaki? Did he mention Rin at all to him? The "situation" she'd told him of? How long would it take someone's curious child to unearth all the information she'd been certain to bury?

'_Yamanouchi helped me with everything, but I can't help but wonder how much harder it would be to hide things from these people compared to the usual brand. He's the best there is, but still…'_

That lunch bell sounded like the Horn of Gabriel, heralding the forthcoming army of angel's hearkening to her rescue. Or at least it might have if she'd had anything stored in the faith department.

She snatched her bag up from the floor (_'No way am I going to let them snoop in here!'_) and made her escape by effectively joining the throng of students piling into the hallway, politely turning down the offering cries of, "Rin-chan, why don't you come and eat with us?" as she'd done for the past four days.

As soon as she was out the door, she walked briskly in the opposite direction instead of follow, her rigid self-control the only thing stopping her from outright running. Several of the students (yet again, mostly girls) frowned, but quickly returned to the conversations they were holding with their friends, all concerning the new boy of Class 2-A.

It was a topic that had been holding out since the first day, and it didn't look like it would be letting up any time soon.

**…**

"Well, now. Where do you suppose _she_ could be going?" mused Kaoru, poking his head out from the classroom door to watch Rin's retreating figure after the teacher had followed her students.

"She obviously isn't on her way to get lunch," said Hikaru, hovering just over his brother. He looked down and locked eyes with him. "Wanna follow her?"

Before Kaoru could answer, an irritated, "Who are you two annoying now?" came from inside the classroom. The Hitachiin brothers looked back in to find Haruhi frowning at them, her boxed lunch in her hands.

"Is it that new kid?" she pressed, switching her gaze between the two of them. "Why don't you just leave him alone? He looks nervous enough as it is."

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged slightly bewildered glances. They thought that _Haruhi _of all people would have seen it!

"You've got to be kidding me," Hikaru said, looking at her incredulously.

"You mean you really couldn't tell?" Kaoru stared at her. Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

"Couldn't tell what? He's a nice guy from what I've seen, just nervous. I don't blame him, considering Ouran isn't exactly conventional. He's probably trying to get over the shock."

Exchanging another glance, the twins marched over to where Haruhi stood and each grabbed an arm, hauling her into the hallway.

"Would you guys let go of me?" Haruhi protested, still holding her lunch box. She knew protesting was probably pointless, but she had to try.

"No way," said the twins in unison, marching her down the hall in the direction they'd seen their quarry go. "You're coming with us!"

**…**

Rin felt her heart pound against her chest, but kept up her brisk stride. Self-control was necessary. Under no circumstances was she to break from character.

"_Act natural; keep your guard up just in case, but try to relax once you've settled,"_ Yamanouchi had told her. _"Even if it _is_ full of rich people, it's still just a high school."_

Yes, Ouran Academy was a high school – a high school made up of students who arrived in their own personal limousines, wore expensive uniforms, and walked along hallways that reminded her a little too much of pink bismuth. Oh, great, how could she possibly have missed _that_? She was in a school whose theme was her least favorite color!

Relaxing and settling in was definitely going to take a bit of doing. One week just hadn't done it for her yet.

She hazarded a look upward and raised an eyebrow. Interestingly enough there were slanted mirrors at the crossing of the halls, the kind showing a panorama of the aisles and customers that one would often find lining the upper walls of a drugstore. It made shoplifting rather difficult, unless of course one stood directly beneath the mirror; _then_ it was the security cameras one had to contend with. Either Ouran Academy held this same sentiment or it simply catered to the narcissistic.

'_Here I am walking in a school, down a hallway of my least favorite color, and being pursued by two redheads and a captive cross-dresser.'_

Her eyebrow could not possibly have risen any further upon seeing Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin following several meters behind. In-between them, a wrapped boxed lunch inexplicably being clutched in her hands, was Haruhi Fujioka, who looked as though she'd been through such an occurrence on multiple occasions and was now steeped in irritated acceptance.

Rin didn't like it, but she was going to have to use one of the tricks Yamanouchi taught her if she wanted to shake them off. It wouldn't be the same as dodging in an alley, but the concept was the same. The only problem she had was the mirrors.

A water fountain in an alcove to her right caught her attention, and she swerved to take a quick drink. Noting that the water was shockingly clean (_'Well, what did you expect? The usual city muck?'_ the voice in her mind nagged), she kept an eye trained on the nearest mirror. From what she could make out from her position, it was impossible to see a person if they turned a corner. Excellent.

Straightening out, she cast a seemingly casual glance in her stalkers' direction. She had to suppress a smirk at seeing one of the twins as he dove off to the side with the other two. Such amateurs.

**…**

"That was a close one," Hikaru said, peering into the hallway to find their target walking along once more. "You think she saw us?"

"I don't know," said Kaoru.

"Would either of you mind telling me what's going on here?" Haruhi demanded, keeping her voice low. "Why are we following the new guy?"

"Have we ever told you that you're the strangest heroine ever?" they said in unison, giving her a sidelong glance.

"What does _that_ have to do with anything?"

"Geez, Haruhi," Kaoru began.

"We really thought that _you_ of all people would have noticed," finished Hikaru.

"Noticed what?" Haruhi asked, now beginning to feel very much confused.

"Take another look," they said, pulling her over to watch as Rin continued to walk along the corridor.

"Notice anything?" Hikaru asked irritably.

Haruhi frowned as she watched the "boy". She really had no idea what they were talking about. _'I should really be in the classroom and eating my lunch.'_ "Notice what?" she demanded again after a moment. "All I see is the new guy who sits in front of me."

"Are you so sure 'he's' a guy?" Kaoru asked, also sounding rather cross.

"Well, yeah, I'm sure he's a guy!" Haruhi insisted, raising her voice.

Rin suddenly stopped and turned at the noise, forcing the trio to duck back behind the wall. When their target resumed walking again, the twins gave their companion a dirty look.

**…**

Rin really wanted to laugh at that little group as she continued her stride. They were terrible stalkers, but she had to give those Hitachiin boys some credit: they were persistent. They looked like they were driving that Fujioka girl up a wa–

She froze.

_Hitachiin_.

The sudden and inexplicable urge to escape flared up from within her, and it became difficult to maintain the control she held over herself. She knew that name from somewhere. Hadn't it been the name of someone her mother…?

'_No! Focus, Rin! There are probably _hundreds_ of other Hitachiins out there, with or without twins! There are a lot more important things to worry about at the moment!'_

Despite the mental assault on herself, she realized she needed to get as far away from these twins as quickly as possible. If she was getting nervous this quickly, she was going to slip up and she couldn't afford to do that.

She knew it probably wasn't the case, but Rin felt as though the doors and paintings lining the halls were going by a little bit faster, as if her sudden desperation was speeding up her well-controlled pace. The mind had an odd little habit of playing tricks on an individual.

That was her thought when she found the doors. She stopped abruptly at the sight of them. A set of black, ornately designed double doors, carved ivy with wicked thorns twisting around them in a morbid frame. Rin was surprised Ouran even _had_ this kind of décor – it was completely opposite of the inferred Pepto-Bismol theme.

Given her experiences with the unexpected, her senses went off in an alarm. Ordinarily something like this would have registered a threat, but at the moment her system was sending out mixed messages. The first message stated the absurdity of such a set of doors being present at all. They simply didn't belong there. This was succeeded by another question: Where had the doors come from? Had they been there all along? She didn't know why, but she kept wondering if they _had_ been there the whole time.

The one thing Yamanouchi often complained about was her curiosity. Despite her attention to detail and her sense of self-preservation, Rin Tamashizaki was practically a slave to her own curiosity, and this situation was proving to be yet another example of it. Those doors were standing there, inveigling her to open them and step over the threshold; they were dark, they were mysterious…

And they were probably the last thing her little stalkers would think her to have gone through.

She cast a hesitant glance back over to where the trio was, pleased to note that they were still hidden behind a wall.

Grinning, she promptly opened one door and slipped inside, the door lightly slamming shut behind her and engulfing her in darkness.

"Great," she heard herself grumble as she took a tentative few steps forward. "_Now_ where am I?"

"Where are you, indeed?" replied a new, unfamiliar voice, sending a chill down her spine.

* * *

_Uh, oh… who did Rin run into? All questions, comments, and suggestions welcome! Happy Belated Valentine's Day, everyone!_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**__ Rin is very much enveloped in Hikaru and Kaoru's past, but the only thing I can say is at the moment is… Sore wa himitsu desu (that's a secret)! XD Don't worry – I'll be dropping a few hints along the way. ;)_

_Now to see who what Rin's gotten herself into (sakurasapprentice7 and ShattertheHeavens got it right!) – and what the Host Club does next!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own anything from __**Ouran HSHC**__, nor do I own anything from the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's __**Phantom of the Opera**__. I just like to write for fun. ^_^_

* * *

_"We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship."  
_ – C.S. Lewis

**Chapter 4: An Unlikely Alliance**

"Sorry," Haruhi apologized as she slumped against the wall, her arms no longer in the twins' clutches. "What do you mean 'are you so sure he's a guy'? He sure comes across as a guy to me."

"You know, for someone who's able to tell _us_ apart you really are dense about some things," Kaoru remarked.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"He _means_," Hikaru said, forcing her to look in the direction of their quarry…

And discovered that said quarry was no longer there!

"What the –?" Hikaru released his grip on Haruhi's shoulders and gawked at the empty hall before him.

Kaoru peered round the corner to see what his twin was reacting to and let out a gasp. "Hey, where'd she go?"

"How should I know?" Hikaru snapped. "She was just there a second ago!"

"'She'?" Haruhi blinked. "Hang on a second… you mean that the new kid in our class… is a _girl_?"

The twins face-faulted. _Now_ she understood what they'd been trying to tell her?

Haruhi ignored their exaggerated reaction and frowned in the direction of where Rin had been. "It's strange, but... I honestly thought that she was a _guy_. I mean, she had me so convinced! I never would have suspected…hey, wait a minute!" she looked over at the redheaded doppelgangers suspiciously. "If _I _couldn't identify her as being female, then how were the two of you able to do so? Your powers of observation can't be _that_ good."

_That _got them. Now that Haruhi had mentioned it, they probably _wouldn't_ have noticed Rin Tamashizaki's androgynous appearance if they hadn't heard about her first. Haruhi had fooled them all last year – they'd heard about a scholarship student, had heard the name, but no one had ever mentioned Haruhi's gender. To them, she looked like a homosexual young man with atrocious fashion sense, horrible glasses, and an even worse haircut. Finding out that the Fujioka kid was, in fact, _female_ was a bit of a shock.

That sensation of déjà vu crept over the twins again. The only thing separating _this _situation from the one last year was that _this time_ they'd been informed. If Kyoya-sempai hadn't shoved that picture under their noses on the first day of school they never in a million years would have –

"Hey, we'd better tell the Boss what we found out!" Kaoru said, giving his twin an urgent look as sudden realization dawned on him.

"Yeah, you're right," Hikaru agreed, and the two sprinted down the hall at breakneck speed, ignoring the cries of, "Hey! Wait, you guys!" coming from behind them.

Haruhi sighed deeply and rolled her eyes at her boxed lunch before looking back in the direction she'd last seen the new student.

_Was_ Rin really a girl? The person who now sat in front of her during class hadn't given much of an indication of being anything other than a nervous guy…

Oh, wait… hadn't there been some floral scent in the classroom? Haruhi had just dismissed it as someone's perfume but…

Even if Rin _was_ a girl, what was the big deal, anyway? Haruhi couldn't grasp how the twins had automatically put the pieces together, and she _really_ didn't understand why they'd felt the need to take off in search of Tamaki like that. None of it made any sense.

'_Then again,'_ she thought wryly to herself, _'_nothing_ with these damn rich people ever makes any sense…'_

Shaking her head, Haruhi turned around to head back to the classroom. She frowned. Even after having been at the academy for a solid year, she still wasn't familiar with some places. This sudden intersection of hallways was one of them.

"Great…" she muttered angrily. "_Now_ which way do I go?"

**…**

"It isn't often that I have visitors."

Rin took a step back, clutching her bag's strap with both hands. The door was locked; she'd heard the click. How did it just lock on its own? Wait, locks didn't do that – _somebody _had to have sneaked behind her and turned it over. But how could they have slipped past her unnoticed?

Whoever else was in here obviously enjoyed being mysterious. A darkened room and eerie, deep, and disembodied voice were the perfect combination for someone with a flair for theatrics.

The theatricality on its own wasn't what bothered her. Of the many "jobs" she'd had, working in that loud club that had opened a year ago was probably the most enjoyable –theatrics just went with the territory. That, and the darkened corridors and synthesized voices from the dance floor.

The darkness didn't exactly faze her, either. She was used to its unseen dangers, the hidden shadows that lurked – how could she _not_ have grown accustomed to it, given what she'd done to earn money _before_ working at the club?

No, it wasn't any of _that _alone _– _it was all of it together, along with the unwanted sensation of being _trapped_.

The moment she heard the lock click, Rin's heart muscles clenched painfully. _Trapped _was an awful feeling, one that she'd experienced on more than one occasion. There were so many ways a person could be _trapped_. They were all so easy. All you had to do was observe your target, and wait for that moment when they're alone…

'_Nobody followed me around the corner this time,'_ she told herself firmly._ 'No one knows I'm here. I ditched those twins. There's nobody here…'_

"What's the matter?" asked the deep and mysterious voice. Its owner sounded almost amused. "Are you… _afraid_?"

Rin backed into the wall next to the door and reached out a hand to jiggle the handle. It didn't budge. She frowned in the darkness as she realized she couldn't unlock it; she ought to have been able to. She'd made a careful observation during classes of the door locks when she was pretending to pay attention and ignore the Hitachiin twins' stares. Locks were one of her specialties; the locks at Ouran were unique to even her but she could handle them if the need ever arose. _This_ lock, however, was practically nonexistent – she couldn't even find a deadbolt! Did it lock from the outside? She couldn't see to tell, and she couldn't very well pick a strange lock in the dark with someone stalking her like this.

'_I need to find a light switch. He can't hide if the room isn't dark.'_

Swallowing back the panic that was beginning to swell, her fingers flitted about in search of a light switch. It had to be somewhere near to the door…

"There's plenty to fear in the darkness," the voice continued somewhere to her left. "That is unless of course you _embrace_ it."

'_Embrace darkness? Did I just wind up in the set of some vampire movie or something?'_ Rin continued to run her hand along the wall, the other shoved into her messenger bag and groping in-between the texts and notebooks. When her fingers brushed against cool metal, she felt the tiniest spark of reassurance. Yamanouchi had strictly advised against bringing it to school, but Rin's survival instincts got the better of her in end. Carrying that metal pipe around came to her just as naturally as an ordinary teen carrying a cell phone.

'_Probably don't want to use it though…'_

With great reluctance, she withdrew her hand from the bag and stuck it instead in her pocket, fingers wrapping around the small set of keys she had. House keys were easier to explain than a piece of plumbing.

"I assure you I don't mean you any harm," came the voice again.

It only took that one little statement to send another voice into her head:

"_C'mon, Rin. You can trust me. We're… _buddies_…"_

The moment her searching hand found the light switch, a flash went through her mind and her other hand went for the pipe again. To Hell with Yamanouchi and Chairman Suoh if they caught wind of this – she wasn't going to let herself be caught off-guard _again_.

"Yeah, that's what they _all_ say, _pal_," she growled through clenched teeth, and promptly flipped on the set of switches to her left.

The moment the lights turned on in their glaring brilliance, Rin found herself temporarily blinded in the sudden transition. She'd expected this and blinked furiously, fully prepared to brandish her concealed weapon upon sight of her anonymous classroom companion; ready to take on the expected opponent.

She just wasn't prepared for the bloodcurdling scream that followed the simple action of flipping a few light switches.

"_**MURDERER!**_"

**…**

"_Mommy_, Daddy hasn't seen the new princess _anywhere_!" Tamaki wailed, slumping dramatically in his chair, face just missing the small plate of _confit byaldi_* on his tray.

Kyoya looked away from his book at the courtly young man and frowned. It wasn't so much the fact that their charge was nowhere to be found – if the girl were to choose this moment to pass by them and see Tamaki acting like a drama queen, she would probably choose to avoid them completely.

"Maybe she's still trying to get acquainted with the school," he suggested as placidly as ever. "She couldn't have chosen _not_ to show up; doing so would be detrimental to her scholarship, after all."

"Yeah… I suppose you're right," the blond third-year said glumly. "Still… I'm sure _someone_ must have seen her…"

As if right on cue, the Hitachiin twins bolted into the dining hall and skidded to a stop, earning a surprised look from Tamaki and a raised eyebrow from Kyoya.

"Hey, Boss," Kaoru began, panting.

"You know how you and Kyoya-sempai were looking for a girl named Rin Tamashizaki?" Hikaru continued, equally breathless.

Tamaki looked at the duo forlornly. "Yes, we were and, wouldn't you know it, we never found her." He sighed heavily. "Maybe she didn't show up to school after all."

Unnoticed, Kyoya rolled his eyes. Hadn't he _just_ said –.

"Wrong!" the twins intoned, crossing their arms in front of them in the shape of an X. Kyoya raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? You mean you've seen her?" he inquired.

"Even better," replied Hikaru.

"Much better," agreed Kaoru.

"You have her with you?" Tamaki asked excitedly, eyes scanning the dining hall. "Where? Where is she?"

"We lost her," the two said in unison, causing the two third-yearss to look at them incredulously.

"What?" the Host King exploded, attracting attention from all corners of the dining hall. "How could you just _lose_ our _new little princess_?"

"Whoa, calm down!" Hikaru said, putting his hands up in defense at the same time as his brother.

"You _do_ realize that you're attracting a lot of _negative attention_…?" Kyoya's easygoing but pointed remark caused Tamaki to sink back into his chair, chastened.

"I wouldn't exactly call her a 'princess', Boss," said Kaoru hesitantly. Tamaki's head rose up, slight suspicious written across his face. "I'm not really sure _what_ you would call her."

"Actually, we're not even sure that the Rin Tamashizaki _we're_ talking about is the one you're looking for," Hikaru added with a slight frown.

"Oh? And why is that?" Kyoya asked, now pulling out his laptop and the girl's designated black notebook. "As far as I know, there's only one 'Rin' currently enrolled at Ouran Academy, and that is Rin Tamshizaki."

"Can we see her picture again?"

Without a word, Kyoya allowed his menial information to slide into the outstretched hands of the Hitachiin twins, who promptly opened up the notebook to stare intently at the photo inside.

"What do you think, Hikaru?"

"I don't know, Kaoru… the one we've been seeing in class doesn't look anything like this girl…"

"Wait, you mean this little girl is in class with you two shady twins?" Tamaki demanded, suddenly taking on the offensive.

"Yeah, she took the open seat in front of Haruhi," Kaoru replied, not looking up.

"Haruhi?" the look on the blond third-year's face went from suspicion to sudden adoration. "Ah, then that means my adorable little daughter will finally find a friend!"

Kaoru frowned at the "daughter" reference. Even after that festival fiasco, the boss _still_ wasn't getting the message? He was beginning to wonder who had the thicker skull: Hikaru or Tamaki.

'_Or Haruhi,'_ he added mentally. _'For not seeing her own charade right in front of her…'_

"For the last time, Sempai, I already _have_ a father," a rather irritated voice said from nearby. The boys turned to find a disgruntled Haruhi standing there, frowning up at the twins.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki shouted with pleasant surprise, inwardly gushing at how cure he thought she looked when she was irritated.

To his utter depression, she didn't return his greeting, but instead continued to glare at the Hitachiins.

"Thanks a lot for leaving me back there, you two," she said angrily, fists clenched around her lunch box. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to find my way back to the classroom?"

"You got lost?" Kyoya asked, sarcasm ringing within the supposed curiosity. Haruhi gave one final glare at her two classmates before looking sourly at the upperclassmen.

"Well, yeah. What do you expect when you get dragged out your classroom to follow some new kid around? I was so busy trying to figure out what was going on that when they darted off to go looking for Tamaki-sempai, I didn't know where I was."

"You left my Haruhi _alone_?" the eruption from their self-professed "king" was meant to instill fear, but instead, to his horrified to surprise, he was ultimately ignored, and was forced to sink back into his chair yet again, gloom casting its unmistakable aura around him.

"Drama as usual…" Haruhi muttered, and turned back to find an image shoved in her face. "H-hey! What is this?"

"Say hello to the _girl_ who sits in front of you in our classes," Hikaru said, allowing her to take the notebook from him.

Haruhi raised an eyebrow as she looked at the girl in the photograph. "But she doesn't _anything_ like the Rin in class…" She looked back up at the twins. "Are you _sure_ Rin isn't a guy?"

"A _guy_?" Kyoya looked up from his laptop screen, his fingers still typing in the subject's name, and Tamaki lifted his head from his depression out of sudden curiosity.

Hikaru sighed. "You remember that guy I crashed into on the first day of school?"

Kyoya managed to suppress the smirk that threatened to cross his face as he looked back at his screen as the information loaded. "Yes, actually I do: messy hair, baggy sweater…" Light flashed over the Shadow King's glasses. "You were in quite a compromising position, if memory serves."

Kaoru had to suppress his own smirk at the flare of color that suddenly overtook his twin's face. It finally dawned on him that he'd had a girl pinned underneath him. It was amusing in its own little way: despite their reputations, _neither_ of them had ever pinned a girl before, not even accidentally.

"Wait…" Tamaki said slowly. "So you mean that dumpy little boy from before… is _this_ little princess?" he grabbed the notebook from Haruhi and practically pressed his nose into the photograph. "How can this _be_? We have _another _Haruhi in our midst?"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Kyoya said, his tone causing them to look at him. His eyes were hidden in the light reflecting from his glasses, but from the way one eyebrow was twitching, they could tell there was something off.

"What's the matter, Kyoya?" Tamaki began cheerfully, though privately not liking the sudden stiffness that had overcome his friend. "Find something confusing?"

"Well… let's just say that this little development has done more than just pique my interest," the dark-haired third year said at last, pushing his glasses up his nose; the light gleaming off the lenses disappeared, revealing eyes looking at them coyly. "There's definitely more to this new student than meets the eye."

Haruhi silently noted that he'd evaded the question. Unfortunately, she'd been the only one to notice.

"Want us to tail her?" asked the twins.

"You already did that…" Haruhi said, then, adding to their despair, "You've _been_ doing that _all week long_. And then you _lost_ her…"

"No, I have a better idea," Tamaki announced, striking a dignified pose. "We will hold an impromptu meeting of the Ouran Host Club right after lunch. You two –" he pointed to the twins "– will escort Miss – or be as it may _Mister_ – Rin Tamashizaki to Music Room 3!"

"Roger!" Hikaru and Kaoru gave a smart salute.

There was a slight rumbling sound, and they all (including a somewhat bemused Kyoya) looked down at Haruhi, who was looking a bit embarrassed.

"Ah, but first, to satiate the starvation of our beloved Haruhi, _let's eat_!"

Kaoru sighed inwardly and cast a somewhat helpless look at his brother, who'd done the same. He could see that Hikaru was just as anxious to seize Rin and drag her along with them but, when it came right down to it, all that stalking in the hallway had worked them up an appetite.

Kyoya, on the other hand, didn't even so much as look as his lunch. He was too busy staring in disbelief at his computer screen. A glance into his notebook, which had been laid by his tray, and back to the information on his laptop. For once, he was beginning to doubt his own information network.

'_When did her files change?'_

**…**

The figure in black crumpled to the floor with a howl, shaking violently as though being torn asunder.

'_Wow…'_ Rin thought, shutting the lights back off in a slight daze. _'I didn't think I'd ever meet someone with such a powerful case of _photophobia_.' _

"Sorry about that," she said after a moment.

A cat puppet peered over the young man's shoulder, eyes narrowed. "That… was a _wretched_ thing to do," was the weak response she heard from the floor. "You might have _killed_ me!"

Rin rolled her eyes. _'Yup, definitely photophobic.'_ She watched as he struggled to get up to his knees and found it hard to resist laughing. It wasn't as dark in here as she'd originally thought it was and this person certainly wasn't what she'd been expecting.

The black-clad young man turned a pale face upwards to her and scowled. "You find my pain amusing?"

Rin shook her head in negation, her laughter still ringing out in the darkness. "I don't mean to laugh at you, honestly! I just didn't expect to be accused of attempted murder just by opening a few lights!" There were no lies or cover-ups this time – in truth, she was laughing out of absolute delight at the relief flooding through her veins. Those horrible images from three weeks ago may have been permanently burned into her mind, but she was no longer in danger of having to relive them now. It just felt good to laugh…

As her laughter continued, Umehito Nekozawa felt himself smile a little. Never before had anyone actually sincerely_ apologized_ to him…

Then he realized just who his supposed "murderer" was: it was that odd "boy" who'd run into him earlier as he was heading to the restroom!

"You really did have me worried for a moment there, though," Rin said, her laughter finally dying down. "I thought I was going to have to beat you up. Not exactly the best way to start out the year."

"Forgive me for startling you. As I said, it's seldom I ever have visitors." He and the cat puppet bowed in apology. "My name is Umehito Nekozawa; I'm a third-year student. And this –" he raised the puppet, which was now looking at Rin quite intently, "– is Belzenef."

"Belzenef?" She quirked an eyebrow and cocked her head gently to one side, a slight grin playing on her lips.

Yes, _she_, Nekozawa noted. Despite her horribly androgynous outside appearance, he was certain that the person before him was of the female gender. The way she was dressed said otherwise, but the scent of cherry blossoms that had plagued him a great deal since the first day of school begged to differ.

"Nice to meet you, Nekozawa-sempai and Belzenef," she said, kneeling down next to him and giving her own short bow. "I'm Rin Tamashizaki, Class 2-A."

"Nice to meet you, too," Nekozawa replied, secretly happy that he now had a name to match with the face and even more so that she'd actually introduced herself to _Belzenef_ as well. "If you don't mind my asking, what was a girl like you doing coming in here anyway? I confess I'm surprised you entered at all."

"Well, I saw this door and it opened. I really didn't care just _where_ it led to, I was too busy trying to escape from those –" In the darkness he'd long since accepted, Nekozawa saw Rin pale considerably, her face going stark white. He frowned.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"H-how…" Rin gulped. "How did you know I was a girl?"

The sudden dread in her voice caught him off-guard. Why would she want to hide her gender? She said she was being followed…

The fear that was plastered on her face forced aside his wonders at her predicament. For some odd reason, he didn't want her to panic like that – he didn't like it. While he knew nothing of comforting a girl (he was still awkward even in his interactions with his own little sister!), he knew of a small group people who _did_, and figured it was a good idea to use one of their charm tactics.

He rose up on his knees and leaned towards her a little, the hand without Belzenef reaching out to her face. He'd seen Tamaki Suoh do this on multiple occasions – certainly it would work. Simply reach out and gently hold a few strands of her hair in his hand and tell her he'd smelled cherry blossoms. If he did correctly, she'd relax like all those girls had for Suoh. Right?

Rin had absolutely no idea what Nekozawa was doing, but him being closer like that and slowly raising his hand to her face made her feel uneasy again. Did _all_ the guys in this school feel the need to turn on the charm, or was it her imagination?

Nekozawa didn't get a chance to find out if his little idea was going to work; before he knew it, he was catapulted into the nearby teacher's desk that wasn't in use and with a set of keys rammed against his throat. The scent of cherry blossoms filtered through his nostrils once more, and he found a set of angry blue-green eyes glaring at him past the dark green bangs of his wig.

For someone so small, Rin was remarkably strong.

"_How_?" she asked again, this time through clenched teeth. In the darkness, Nekozawa was surprised to see that she had dark patches spreading on her pale cheeks. He'd never _flustered_ anyone before! Frightened, of course, but _flustered_?

The keys pressed against his throat quickly brought him back to reality.

"Uh… it was your scent?" he said, not quite sure how to explain himself. "I-I smelled cherry blossoms when I ran into you on the first day of school. And now, actually."

The dark patches on her cheeks spread out like wildfire on her face, and Nekozawa was pretty sure his own reaction was quite similar. He really had no idea how to deal with girls. He was going to have to spy on the Host Club more often.

Rin was stunned. _'My own __**shampoo**__ did me in? Oh, brother!'_ She released her grip on Nekozawa's cloak and shoved her house keys back in her pocket.

"Sorry…" she muttered, feeling totally embarrassed now. How many times was she going to overreact like?

Before Nekozawa could respond, a loud blare of music interrupted. Rin's head shot up, turning in the direction of the sound. It was at that moment she saw the television set that had suddenly come to life in the corner: on its screen was the set of a theatre, years of dust being blown aside, revealing a brighter setting.

She dimly remembered the view, but the music sent a wave of recognition over her.

"_Phantom of the Opera_?" She looked questioningly at her black-clad companion, who was wearing a slight frown.

"_Now_ the DVD player decides to work…" he grumbled, pulling himself to his feet. "It was stuck on the chandelier rising for a full ten minutes before you came in."

"That's a pretty good scene to be stuck on," she mused, looking back at the altering scenes, she grinned a little as she listened to the music – the overture was one of her favorite tunes. She cast a glance over to Nekozawa. "Mind if I watch it with you?"

The request sent a shockwave over his body. Within a span of less than twelve minutes, he'd been showered in light, apologized to, made a girl flustered, been slammed into a desk, been apologized to again, and now the girl he'd been talking to wanted to watch a movie with him?

Were all his prayers to darkness being answered, or was this some kind of dream?

"S-sure," he stammered, not certain of what else to say. Words were suddenly quite awkward.

"Thanks." she gave him a pleasant smile. "I haven't seen this in long time."

Nekozawa returned her smile with a weak grin, but both of them faltered when they heard a low growling noise. Rin grinned nervously.

"I almost forgot it was time for lunch," she said, and dug around her bag. After a moment, a puzzled look crossed her face, followed shortly by a scowl.

"Something wrong?"

"Yeah, I forgot my lunch at home," she said miserably. "I thought I was going to be late, and I was in such a hurry that I must've left on the counter." She gave a slight chuckle. "Looks like Patches and Perry'll enjoy it more than I will."

"Patches and Perry?"

"My cats," she said simply, sporting another grin. "It was just a peanut butter and honey sandwich, but that just happens to be a combination those two like. Pretty funny, huh?"

"Mmhmm," he replied with a nod. Inwardly, he felt himself filling with happiness. She liked cats! And had two of them!

He glanced over a Belzenef, who simply grinned in reply. _'It looks like we've made a friend.'_

Without a word, he crossed over to one of the empty desks, and pulled over a small blue lunch sack. He walked back and stuck a hand in, pulling out two wrapped sandwiches.

"Here you go," he said, handing them to a very surprised Rin. "It… uh… it isn't peanut butter or anything, but it's good."

She accepted the sandwiches and looked back up at him with another smile.

"Thanks," she said, very much sincere.

"You're welcome," he replied, now genuinely smiling himself.

The two sat at pair of empty desks next to each other and submersed themselves in the movie, occasionally discussing several points of interest before lapsing back into a comfortable silence. For Nekozawa, it was a wonderful experience: he wasn't alone like he normally was, and he wasn't quite as uncomfortable enjoying a film with Rin as he'd expected. For Rin, it was just as pleasant: Nekozawa wasn't a threat, and she wasn't all that uncomfortable being around a guy other than Yamanouchi. She could hardly suppress a grin at the thought that she'd actually made a friend at school for the first time in her life. Her mom would've been happy to hear that.

They could have gone on for the entire duration of the film in this way…

That is until the bell rang, indicating that the lunch period had ended just as the Phantom was luring Christine to his underground chambers.

"Aw, _maaan_," Rin couldn't help but whine as Nekozawa stopped the movie. "We didn't even get anywhere _near_ the masquerade!"

"Well, we always have tomorrow," he said simply, ejecting the DVD and placing it back in its case. "Well, Monday, anyway."

"You mean I can come back?" he lifted his eyebrows at her question.

"Why… yes… of course."

Rin's face lit up, lighting up the third-year's soul at the exact same moment. Never in all his life did he think anyone except for perhaps Kirimi would want to be in his company.

"Great!" she said, pulled her messenger bag over her shoulder. "Well, I guess I'd better get back to – oh, wait a second." She frowned a little. "Crap. I just realized that I have absolutely no idea how to get back to class. I was so busy trying to shake off those twins that I didn't pay any attention to where I was going. Just great."

Nekozawa frowned. The only twins _he_ knew of off the top of his head were the second-years in Suoh's Host Club. Were they the ones who'd been following her?

"Hey, uh… Nekozawa-sempai?" he looked up to find her staring at him a bit nervously. "Could you please not tell anyone? You know… that I'm not… uh…"

"I promise not to say anything," he said, he and Belzenef each raising a hand in oath. "Belzenef, too."

Rin couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks… both of you." She walked up to the door, muttering to herself something about turning down a left-hand corner to get to her English class.

_«You know, you can always help her so she doesn't get lost…»_

Nekozawa looked down at Belzenef, who nodded back to him.

"Actually, you don't have to worry about turning any corners," he said mischievously, briskly walking to her side as she reached for the doorknob.

"What are you talking about?" Rin asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh, you'll see," he said, gently twisting the doorknob himself. If she liked _Phantom_, he thought, she was going to _love_ this.

The blackened door swung open, revealing a sea of swarm of students, flashes of yellow dresses and periwinkle jackets filling her vision.

And just in front of her was the sign for Class 2-A English.

"Hey, how'd you do that?" she demanded, looking up at him with widened eyes.

"Oh, you didn't know?" he looked down at her with a twisted grin. She caught a flash of brilliant crystal blue eyes under the mop of green bangs. "I'm the President of the Black Magic Club."

'_Black magic?'_

She took a tentative step into the hall as the students filtered out. This was certainly no trick. She was right back to where she'd been earlier. In spite of her misgivings, Rin was pretty impressed.

"Thank you, Nekozawa –" she turned with a smile but faltered. "… sempai?"

The door was gone, in its place a wall with a floral portrait.

Rin blinked several times in an attempt to rationalize this little incident. She didn't have much luck.

"_Oh, you didn't know? I'm the President of the Black Magic Club."_

Chairman Suoh had assured her that Ouran Academy would go beyond her expectations, but she had a sneaking suspicion that disappearing doors _wasn't_ what he had been referring to.

She didn't have a lot of time to fathom the bizarre inner workings of Ouran Academy, though. The moment she turned around, the hall was cleared of stragglers heading back to class and she found herself freezing as two sets of arms encircled her waist.

"Hey, Rin," two vaguely voices purred in her ears, sending her heart pounding.

Rin looked from side-to-side, and found herself staring into the golden of eyes of Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, both of whom were currently pressing themselves against her and barring her entry to Class 2-A.

* * *

_*Confit byaldi is a variation of ratatouille, the one used in the titular Disney/Pixar film. I couldn't think of what all they'd serve at Ouran, so I used the first thing I could think of. I thought it would work well with Tamaki. ^_^_


	5. Chapter 5

"_There are no accidents."  
_ – Master Oogway, _Kung Fu Panda_

**Chapter 5: Meet the Host Club**

"Would you two let go of me, please?" Rin's voice came out as stiffly as she stood. The Hitachiin twins were too close for comfort, and it didn't look as though they were about to relinquish their hold of her any time soon. "I'd like to get to class, if you don't mind. It isn't a good idea to be late for class in the first week of school."

"Oh, we don't _mind_," began the one on her left.

"It's just that we've already gotten you excused," said the other.

"And we'd be sorely disappointed if our efforts were _wasted_." The two voices purred simultaneously, warm breath curling on either side of her face: the scent wintergreen, cinnamon, and cologne mingled and fought for dominance with the air. The effect was almost intoxicating – she could see why these two were so insanely popular.

Right away, she realized that wasn't going to like either of them. She hated charmers, and this school was evidently full of them. And they were so _manipulative_…

"Oh, come on…" the one on the left pleaded.

"We just wanted to show you something," said the one on the right. "You don't have to be afraid."

Rin looked back-and-forth at each of them both suspiciously "What is it that you want to 'show' me?"

"Something we think you'll like," the one on the right assured her. His grin turned even more mischievous. "A lot."

"Don't worry," the other quipped. "We don't bite… _hard_…"

She gulped involuntarily, not liking the sultry tone of their voices.

"It won't take long."

"We promise to bring you back to class after we're finished."

Rin looked to either of them warily. "Promise?"

"Promise," they said in unison, and each raised a hand in emphasis, leaving the other to keep a hold on her.

"_C'mon, Rin. You can trust me. We're… _buddies_…"_

She shook herself mentally; this wasn't the alley. This was Ouran Academy, a high-end school for wealthy kids whose parents could afford to splurge. And if the teacher really knew where they were going…

Against her better judgment, she sighed softly in defeat. She didn't want to admit it, but she _was_ rather curious. And when Rin's curiosity led the way, she had no choice but to follow.

"Lead on, then."

**…**

Umehito Nekozawa felt as if he'd been spun around in a circle a thousand times. He truly had no idea what had come over him: no sooner had he closed the door after stealing a final look at Rin Tamashizaki as she gazed around in stunned awe, he slid down the door and had to control his breathing. Whatever this new feeling was, it was terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

All it had taken was one chance encounter with a girl dressed as a boy, and his world was suddenly and astonishingly different. The only girl in his life up to this point had been Kirimi, and that had taken him quite a bit of effort. But _this_ – _this_ was instantaneous!

Belzenef looked at him curiously. _«What are you getting so worked up for?» _the puppet seemed to ask. _«It's not like you just met your future bride or anything like that.»_

Nekozawa's curse doll had a point: he'd only just met Rin; he really had no need to act like a dizzy idiot. Still, he couldn't help it! Just thinking that he'd managed to befriend a member of the opposite gender for the first time of his life that was neither feline nor family-related – it made him ecstatic! The darkness that was loneliness might just have had its first streamer of light pierce through.

But there were a great many questions concerning his newfound companion. Shaking aside the elation, Nekozawa paused to consider what all he'd learned.

For starters, she was hiding something and was hiding _from_ something. Or quite possibly some_one_. For what other purpose would she conceal her gender? He might have written it off as some kind of personal preference, but her actions spoke otherwise. She'd been practically _terrified_ when she realized he knew her secret! For what earthly reason would her _gender_ be a threat?

That was not the only mystery Nekozawa found himself pondering over. The only reason he'd met Rin at all was because she'd been trying to escape a set of twins. Again, his mind went directly to those dratted Hitachiins of Class 2-A: the redheaded demons who always found amusement in directing flashlights at him and laughing when he tried to escape. If Rin had been trying to get away from them, he could certainly understand why.

He gnashed his teeth in irritation. She looked enough nervous to begin with – she didn't need _those two_ stalking her.

The more he thought, the more he wanted to know about Rin Tamashizaki. And the more he wanted to help her out. Mysteries aside, those wretched clothes she was wearing simply had to be taken care of – even if Nekozawa himself dressed eccentrically, he _did_ have standards; seeing a girl dressed in what most in Ouran would consider little better than rags wasn't something he was willing to take lightly, especially since said girl was now his _friend_.

Nodding to himself, he got up and opened the black door, which now led to one of the academy's uniform storage rooms. He and Belzenef were going to have fun guessing her size – that sweater had been far too baggy.

**…**

Rin had no clue where they were taking her, but wherever it was, she was certain that it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. Being led by the twins made her feel _trapped_ again and she was having a very, _very_ hard time maintaining composure. It took everything she had not to break free and run away.

"You can let me go, you know," she growled again, blue-green eyes narrowed to slits and darting between her two "escorts".

"Oh we know," said the one on her left.

"It's just that it's much nicer this way," concluded the other.

Rin wasn't sure if she could define having her arms linked with either twin as "nice", but she supposed it was better than all the other times she'd been escorted somewhere. The only difference now was that Yamanouchi was nowhere near her now and she had to be careful with her reactions. These were just a couple of rich kids, not a set of street thugs.

Still…

"And here we are!" the twin to her right proclaimed happily after about fifteen minutes of guiding her up along two flights of stairs and several different hallways.

Rin looked at the elegant set of double-doors dubiously and gave a quizzical look at the sign above.

"Music Room #3?" She felt herself tense up again. "What do you want to show me in a music room? Isn't there a class?"

"Oh, no," the one on her right assured her.

"This is one of the unused classrooms," said the one on her left. "Ouran has a lot of them."

"_The best part about this little place is that it's abandoned. So no one's gonna hear you scream."_

"I've changed my mind," Rin said hurriedly. "I'd like to go back to class now."

"Oh, don't worry about it," the twin on her left pulled her even closer. "It's a nice little surprise."

The two each let out a hand, each still holding onto Rin with the other, and pushed the double doors open. From the other side, she distinctly heard a set of pleasant voices say:

"Welcome to the Ho–" they were abruptly cut off by the sudden choking from the three.

Rin had absolutely no idea what to expect, but something told her that while the bright light and flying rose petals were probably intended, the resulting influx of too many petals coming way too fast and a lungful of perfume were _not_ what they were going for.

"W-what the _hell_?" she choked, her airway suddenly constrict from the amount of perfume. The grip each twin had on her arms intensified as she felt herself lose balance from the sudden lack of oxygen.

"Kyoya-sempai!" the twin on her left gasped, helping to drag her from pathway of rose petals and perfume. The other twin stumbled after her. "What _was_ that?"

"Oh, dear…" Rin heard a refined voice say in exasperation as she finally went to her knees. The twins were apparently struggling to breathe as well. Served them right, in her opinion. "I'm afraid I'll have to speak with the school's maintenance department about this. I thought I left orders for them to keep an eye on things in our absence. Oh, well. It's a good thing we found out now rather than at regular business hours."

"That's a nice thing to say…" she thought she heard a vaguely familiar voice say.

"Would you rather our guests have stumbled across this instead, Haruhi?"

'_Haruhi?'_ Rin's mind registered the name with a jolt. _'Add that to these Hitachiin twins… Crap! That means that this is –!'_

She hazarded a look upward and saw, to what she quickly deemed as her dread, was what had to be Ouran Academy's beloved Host Club.

Even startled as they were now, Rin, despite herself, had to admit that she was mildly impressed by this extravagant bunch. Before her ungracious entrance with the twins, the three remaining Hosts had joined themselves smack dab in the center of the room. To Rin's right was Haruhi Fujioka, the cross-dressing female she sat in front of during classes. On the left was a tall young man with black hair and wire-framed glasses. In addition to the disapproving look on his face, there was a black notebook in one hand, and a pen in the other. Like just about everyone else she knew, the boy was right-handed. This person she quickly decided was Kyoya-sempai, which meant he was the third son of Yoshio Ōtori.

If that was the case, she'd have to be careful around him. There was a _reason_ he'd been nicknamed the Shadow King, after all.

In the center, and clearly meant to be the focal point, was a young blond man, tall and lanky. Through the fashionably arranged bangs that flew into his face, she could see a set of soft violet eyes staring back at her.

If anything, Rin assumed that the look was initially meant to be one of seduction and keen interest. She highly doubted that the boy she knew right away to be Tamaki Suoh was meant to have been sitting bolt upright and leaning forward with his eyes bugging out at the sight of her hacking up a storm.

"Are you alright?" he asked, getting out of his seat and offering her a hand.

Rin took one look at the proffered appendage and directed a cold glare up at the Host King.

"No, I'm _not_ alright," she wheezed, making an attempt to stand without assistance. Her ribs screamed out in resistance, the incident taking its toll almost as if she'd landed right on them. "Just what the heck are you people _thinking_, directing perfume at people like that?"

The hand backed away abruptly. Rin suddenly found the group staring at her in bewilderment.

'_Geez, you'd think they'd never been corrected before.'_

Taking a deep, shaking breath, she continued her verbal assault. "First of all, if you're going to use something, test it out before you go and subject your clients to it. And make sure you test it _on yourselves_ before using some unsuspecting passer-by. _Second_ of all," she shot a glare at Tamaki Suoh, who'd begun to open his mouth again, though whether to say anything intelligible was debatable, given the fact that his mouth had been gaping the whole time, "you shouldn't even be using perfumes like that anyway! What if a client with asthma or COPD were to walk in here and have that stuff fly in her face? Do you know what would happen then? You guys would probably be facing a big, fat _lawsuit_ because you gave someone an attack, like just now! Sheesh!"

Another fit of hacking overtook her, and it gave her time to see their reactions. Tamaki Suoh looked positively horrified, silently chanting the word "lawsuit" as if it were some kind of demonic mantra. It was pretty funny, actually. Pity she wasn't enjoying it more. The Ōtori boy was rapidly jotting down something in the notebook of his, but she couldn't tell if he was taking intermittent looks at her or not as there was a glare coming off his glasses. Haruhi was nodding her head in agreement, although she looked a bit stunned herself. And the Hitachiin twins…

'_Wait… where'd they go?'_

Two sets of arms wrapping themselves around her waist and shoulders gave her the answer quickly enough.

"You really are a feisty one," said the one on her left.

"I think we're going to like you a lot," concluded the one on her right.

Right, left, left, right – if those twins didn't identify themselves by name and stay in one spot, Rin thought that she would go insane!

"I suppose we'll _have_ to get along, considering we're all in the same classes," she returned coldly, hoping that they'd attribute her discomfort of their proximity to pure dislike and not anything else. "Speaking of which, how was it that you were able to get us out so easily? I have a hard time believing that a teacher would excuse her students for an impromptu club meeting that holds little-to-no importance."

"_Little-to-no importance?_" The reaction was a bit more than Rin had bargained for: the twins had pulled back to look at her incredulously, while she could have sworn she'd heard Kyoya Ōtori's pencil snap as he looked up sharply. If that wasn't enough, Tamaki Suoh looked like he was having a full-blown anxiety attack.

The only one who was acting normally was Haruhi. The more Rin noticed that girl, the more she liked her. She was going to have to pull this Fujioka kid aside and ask her why she was cross-dressing and how she'd been wrangled in with this bunch of wackos. Personal comfort obviously wasn't the case. As with just about everything, there was definitely a story behind all this.

Unfortunately, it didn't like today was one for casual storytelling. No, it just had to be the "Let's Bombard the New Kid!" kind of day. That was the only explanation she could come up with for what happened next:

"I was _wondering_ why you hadn't showed up for class!" an irritated voice said from somewhere in – no, _under_, Rin corrected herself – the room. "How _dare_ you boys hold an impromptu meeting without informing me!"

Rin caught the sound of a high-powered motor and felt the ground begin to quake beneath her feet.

"Wh-what the –?" she yelped, bracing herself. She covered her ears upon hearing a loud and obnoxious laugh.

"OHOHOHOHOHO!"

"Oh, great," she heard the twins groan. "It's the otaku again."


	6. Chapter 6

"_The heart has its reasons, of which the mind knows nothing."_  
– Blaise Pascal

**Chapter 6: Edge**

Rin cringed even after the laughter and noise coming from that mysterious motor had died down. Whoever the "otaku" was, she certainly had a set of lungs!

But that wasn't the half of it, she quickly found out upon looking up and subsequently allowing her jaw to drop. Before her and the Host Club members was a multi-tiered platform, somehow erected in the exact center of the music room within the span of only a few moments. It vaguely reminded her of the wedding cakes she'd seen in the windows of bakeries she used to pass.

"You all held an impromptu meeting and didn't even bother to tell your manager! How could you guys _forget_ me like that?"

"Now, now… we didn't forget you, Renge," Tamaki laughed nervously. Rin cast a frowning glance in the blond's direction, seeing that he was not quite certain how to handle this latest predicament. He was giving her the impression that while he may have held the King title, he wasn't the one _really_ running the show around here. She had a feeling _that_ honor went to Kyoya Ōtori. "We just wanted to welcome the new student, that's all."

The girl sitting in an overstuffed chair at the top blinked her large brown eyes at the Host King's statement. Soon, Rin found those same eyes aimed at her.

The way that girl's eyes were sparkling made her even more leery of what was to come.

"Oh! So _that's_ what happened to the new boy!" Renge Houshakuji jumped from the top tier and dashed past the others to grasp Rin's hands and shove her face right into the startled second year's. "So, _you're_ the Rin Tamashizaki everyone was talking about! Wow! You look even better up close!" She looked excitedly over to Kyoya, who'd since somehow gotten a hold of another pencil. "Kyoya-sempai, were you planning on inviting him to join?"

"Well," the bespectacled young man began, "that wasn't _exactly_ the intention. Now that you mention it though, I suppose we'd do well expand our horizons considering we've lost our Stoic type and Boy Lolita type…"

"This is news to me," Rin heard Haruhi mutter. The bewildered teen wasn't about to admit it, but the words "expand our horizons" didn't come across as anything good. Especially when those very words came from the mouth of the much-feared Shadow King of Ouran's Host Club.

"Perfect!" Renge whirled around and gripped Rin's hands even tighter. Rin gulped and took an involuntary step backward. If Yamanouchi were here, she was sure he'd be just as mortified at all this intense staring! "You know, you've got really, _really_ deep eyes."

"Deep?" An eyebrow went up questioningly, that being the only response she was capable of producing at the moment.

"Yeah!" Renge took a step back and released her grip on Rin's hands. With one finger tapping her chin thoughtfully, she walked around the supposed boy, talking all the while. "You've got a pretty shabby look, though. Sure, it might be _comfy_, but being comfortable and looking like you came out of a bargain basement are two totally different things. Personally, _I _wouldn't be comfortable in anything like that, but every person has their own tastes."

Rin looked down at her garb with a frown. Well, _duh_, it was comfortable! Comfort was the one thing she looked for whenever she looked for clothing; that and cost effectiveness (not to mention the new problem of concealing her gender without being too obvious about it). But while her outfit was indeed concocted of articles picked up from a discount rack and was not in the least bit attractive, _"bargain basement" _was _not_ what she was going for! Even if she _was_ incognito, she still had her pride as a member of the female gender!

'_Can you even say that, looking the way you do at the moment?'_ a nasty little voice of her head jeered.

As she silently fumed, Renge continued her inspection. "Until we get you into the school uniform, I'm not sure _how_ we'll classify you. You've got a pretty rough appearance, but there's more to you than all this drab." She stopped in front of Rin and smiled. "But your eyes have definitely got to be your focal point! They've got this… this… _edge_ to them that I've never seen before!"

"An… _edge?_" Tamaki curiously peered over Renge's shoulder took take a closer look. Rin froze once more as the Host King leaned in closer, his warm, clean breath gently playing over her face. "You know… I think you're right. There _is_ something different about them."

"You bet there is!" Renge crowed, freeing Rin from her scrutinizing gaze and promptly strutted back to her multi-tiered platform. Settling back into her chair at the top, she looked down and smiled, eyes pointed directly at Rin before addressing the hosts. "A word of advice from your lovely manager: If I were you boys, I'd snatch this guy up and give him a good makeover before he gets away! I guarantee you that he'll be the best thing to make up for losing Mori-sempai and Honey-sempai!" She looked over to Rin again, who was standing stock-still in shock. "I'll see you in class, Rin! You and I are in the same grade, so we'll be seeing a lot more of each other – we're both in the same art class! And I hope to be seeing you a lot more around _here_, too!" She blew a kiss in Rin's direction. "Goodbye!"

With that, Renge Houshakuji and her platform disappeared under the tiles of Music Room 3.

Rin gulped. Just what kind of school _was_ Ouran Academy? Host Clubs, doors that were there one minute and gone the next, black magic, an energized otaku, and a music room that had didn't live up to its title – had she gone to high school or some form of glorified _lunatic asylum_ for aristocratic teens?

"An edge?"

"This I've got to see."

'_Do they _really_ like touching me all that much or do they do this to every gir- _guy_ that they come in contact with?'_ Rin wondered wearily as she felt the arms wrap around behind her, in the middle of yet another embrace courtesy of the twins.

Dread washed over her as she felt herself being tilted backwards, caught by the arms linking under her back. Hikaru and Kaoru leaned in over her, golden orbs staring intently into her own blue-green ones, which she instinctively narrowed.

"_These eyes saw more than they were supposed to, Rin-chan…"_

"I don't see any 'edge'," said the one on her left, the one with his hair parted to the right.

"No, but I think there's something there," said the one to her right. Rin didn't know it, but it was Kaoru who'd said this, and he was now wracking his brains as he stared at her intently. He blinked a few times. "I think Renge had it right the first time: you really _do_ have deep eyes."

Then he froze, golden eyes latched onto frightened blue-green as suddenly he found himself lost in memory. He could feel the snow again; feel the scarf that the maid had wrapped around his neck a little too tightly. He could remember sitting on that cold bench next to his brother, hand-in-hand and looking up at…

"_Well… I think… _you're_ Hikaru."_

He shook himself mentally. No. That wasn't it. It couldn't be. There was more. Much more. _Now_ he could see what Renge was talking about. It seemed so oddly familiar…

"Hey… do I…" he began, then stopped. _'It can't be…'_

"_It's possible that _nobody_…"_

"Do you _what_?" she demanded. There was something in his gaze that made her feel even more insecure – like he could _see right through her_.

"N-nothing…" he said, and tore his gaze away to give a nod to Hikaru to let her go. His twin complied, but gave him a searching look that went ignored.

Rin was even now more unnerved than ever. That stare… one moment, it was curious; the next, it had turned into something else, almost as if he were remembering something. She had no idea why, but the moment his eyes took on that look, it reminded her…

'_Think about it later. Right now, you've got more important things to worry about, like –"_

"How do you people know who I am, anyway?" she demanded, casting an evil glare in the direction of the rest of the Hosts. Tamaki and the twins involuntarily back away a few paces. "I mean, okay, I can believe everyone knowing about a transfer student and maybe my name slipping out, but I have a _very _hard time believing that everyone knows about my _class schedule_ within a few days! How the hell did that otaku girl find out I signed up for an art class? I've never seen her before!"

"You'd be surprised at how fast information around here travels," Haruhi said exasperatedly. Rin's eyes darted in the girl's direction.

"'Rin Tamashizaki'," Kyoya Ōtori's voice cut in. "'Age: 16. Second-year transfer from Toshingeki High School, currently in attendance under Ouran's special scholarship extended towards underprivileged students with outstanding academic backgrounds. Single child living alone; parents deceased.'" Keen eyes peered over silver lenses. "At least that's what all my information indicates thus far."

"Wait – you mean you're on your own at only the tender age of _sixteen_?" Tamaki swooped in (having miraculously recovered from his initial fright) and pulled Rin into a bone-crunching embrace. "My poor, poor princess! How could the world be so cruel to someone so young?"

Rin snarled. "Look, I _really_ don't like – wait, did you say _princess_?" She yanked back with a startled look on her face.

"Well, of course," the blond grinned pleasantly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "That's what you are, right?"

"Do I _look_ like a princess to you, Suoh?" she shot back, wrenching free from his grasp._ 'Am I really that obvious? Damn it! Yamanouchi's going to throw a fit when he finds out I botched things in the first week!'_

Tamaki faltered again.

"No, you look like you just came out of a bargain retailer bin," one of the twins said with a shrug.

Rin looked at the offending doppelganger with blazing eyes. "I beg your pardon‽"

"You look like a guy to me," Haruhi admitted, scratching the back of her head. "But that's not what these guys are saying."

"Huh?"

"What Haruhi here means –" she felt a tug to her left, one of the twins having grabbed her once again.

"– is that there's a debate about the kind of uniform you ought to be wearing," the second twin breathed huskily into her ear, sending up a new shockwave of fear and fluster throughout her system. Breathing suddenly became difficult again as she stiffened in their embrace.

"Allow me to clarify." Kyoya took a step towards the wary teen as the twins held her in place and opened his notebook again. "The information –"

"_Excuse_ me?" a deep voice that sounded like it was bordering on the precipice of utter fury came from somewhere off to the side, interrupting the dark-haired boy from his speech. Rin's head snapped in the direction of the familiar voice and felt something inside of her light up upon seeing a pale, dark-hooded face poking out from the black carved doors that had mysteriously appeared on the right wall.

"Nekozawa-sempai!"

**…**

Looking for Rin after he and Belzenef found what they assumed to be appropriate attire turned out to be considerably more… _eventful_ than what Nekozawa had anticipated.

After gathering a few garments from the uniform storage room, he carefully folded them and placed them in a bag. Hiding it behind one of the desks in the empty classroom he'd been occupying, he went back to his door and twisted the knob, throwing open the door to that a pale pink-colored hallway had replaced the storage room.

Class 2-A was right across from where he was. Looking in both directions out of habit, he slid over to the side of the door and peered into the classroom. Crystal blue eyes scanned over desks and students, on the lookout for any sign of a poorly dressed "boy".

He frowned considerably upon seeing that Rin was missing. _'Maybe she left for a moment…'_

"Nekozawa-sempai!"

He let out a screech upon hearing the cheerful trill. Haughty laughter rang in his ears, causing him to cringe. Turning around, he found the Host Club's female manager grinning at him happily.

"Oh… uh, hello…" he began hesitantly, heart still pounding. "You startled me."

"I'm sorry." She gave him an apologetic smile, along with a curious look. "Are you trying to find someone?"

"Uh… yes, actually." Nekozawa gave a nervous laugh. "Would you happen to know which classroom Rin Tamashizaki is in? I thought this was it, but I may have gotten it wrong."

"Oh, no, this is the right classroom," Renge assured him. "It's just that Rin-chan isn't in the classroom right now. He was excused from class."

"Oh?" Nekozawa raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this.

"Mmhm. Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi, and Rin are all in Music Room 3 at the moment. And so are Kyoya-sempai and Tamaki-sempai! The Host Club decided to hold an impromptu meeting to welcome the new student." Her face fell in an indignant pout. "And I can't believe they forgot to tell me all about it! I'm their _manager_!"

The words _Host Club_ flared through his mind like a rapidly ascending firework. Looking back into the classroom, Nekozawa could see quite clearly that both of the twins were missing, as well as Haruhi Fujioka.

He cursed to himself mentally. How could he have missed that? And when did those Hosts drag Rin off, anyway? She'd been trying to avoid those twins all morning, and only wound up in their clutches! Of all the…!

He bit his lower lip and swept back towards the black carved doors, ignoring Renge's bewildered look and slamming the doors shut as he returned into the darkened recesses of the unused science classroom. It took Nekozawa several deep breaths before he managed to regain his composure. Turning back to the doors, he twisted the knob of one and gently pushed it open, bright light filtering into the darkness. He poked his head out into the abominable light, eyes concentrated on finding only one thing: Rin.

He found her almost immediately, and felt his jaw involuntarily clench. He hadn't the faintest notion what kind of welcoming committee the Host Club had put together, but he most sincerely doubted that she was feeling very _welcome_ being surrounded by the Hitachiin twins and the others.

If anything, she looked frightened.

"Do I _look_ like a princess to you, Suoh?" He heard her practically screech, wrenching free from Tamaki Suoh's grasp on her shoulder. Tamaki himself took an uncertain step backwards.

"No, you look like you just came out of a bargain retailer bin," one of the twins said with a shrug.

Nekozawa's eyes narrowed as he heard Rin snap at the offending boy. _'That was uncalled for!'_

"You look like a guy to me," Haruhi admitted, scratching the back of her head. "But that's not what these guys are saying."

A dim light bulb clicked over the Black Magic Club's President's head. _They figured out that Rin was a girl_.

Not good.

"Huh?"

Despite his distance away from the group, Neokzawa could clearly hear the hushed words as he saw one of the twins pull her to his side. "What Haruhi here means –"

"– is that there's a debate about the kind of uniform you ought to be wearing," the second twin breathed huskily into her ear.

That did it.

"Allow me to clarify." Kyoya took a step towards the wary teen as the twins held her in place and opened his notebook again. "The information –"

"_Excuse_ me." He let his voice come out deep and angry. The frightened look on Rin's face and the outright harassment she was receiving was more than he could handle – it didn't sit right with him _at all_.

Rin's face turned in his direction, a flash of relief evident in her eyes as she cried out, "Nekozawa-sempai!"

The Hosts turned in his direction, all stunned by the impromptu visitor. Stepping just outside the confines of his darkened abode, he could see through narrowed eyes their various reactions:

True to form, Tamaki Suoh was in a panic – once again, Nekozawa had succeeded in subduing his bubbling classmate by simple presence. Kyoya Ōtori offered a very minute reaction, though there was a sudden and evident stiffness in the way he was currently standing. Haruhi Fujioka looked stunned, but said nothing, having become accustomed to the strange occurrences in Ouran Academy.

The twins merely stood and stared in bewilderment, golden orbs widened and confused as they looked in his direction. The expressions on their faces gave him the vague impression of a child being caught with a hand in the cookie jar, only in this instance the twins were the children and the cookie jar was Rin, whom they had their arms wrapped around like she was their own prized possession.

"Good afternoon, Nekozawa-sempai," Kyoya greeted tersely, having been the first to recover. "May we help you with anything?"

"Why, yes, actually," came his icy return. He tilted his head upward to allow them to see the narrowed crystal blue orbs that were aimed in their direction. "I came to return Rin back to class."

"Rin's been excused from class until the next period," Kyoya stated with measured politeness.

"Ah, but excuses for club activities only extend to club members," Nekozawa returned, grinning maliciously. "And seeing as Rin doesn't belong to the Host Club, it would appear that a return to class is necessary. Wouldn't you agree?"

The bespectacled student's eye twitched at the counter, and everyone could see the gears turning in his head. Of all of them, Kyoya knew the school policies best.

So his reply came as no surprise.

"If I recall correctly, there is a clause in regards to club activities that states that students who are being considered for admission as club members are given consideration, and for evaluation purposes may be excused from the classroom if deemed necessary." His glasses glinted in the artificial lighting. "Being as we're short two members, it was advised by our manager Renge to consider new Hosts. Certainly that is reason enough for our invitation."

The black-cloaked figure pursed his lips together as his mind worked overtime. Another quick glance in Rin's direction spoke volumes on how much she wanted to get out of there, and damn it he was going to help her.

"Then I suppose that if a student were being considered by more than one club for membership, it would be that student's choice as to which invitation to accept. Am I correct?"

He couldn't see past the glare on the Ōtori boy's glasses. Judging from the tension on his face, however, Nekozawa knew he'd hit the nail on the head.

Without waiting for a response, Nekozawa allowed himself to enter the brightly lit room, Belzenef staring down the other Host Club members as they approached. They stopped in front of Rin, who was still sandwiched between Hikaru and Kaoru.

Nekozawa bowed and extended his free hand in her direction. "If you would please be so kind as to accept," he said, keeping his voice low but freeing it of its earlier malice, "I would like to offer you an invitation to convene with the Black Magic Club while you still have time away from class."

Rin blinked incredulously, not sure what to make of this new confounding situation. It wasn't until Nekozawa tilted his head upward and gave her a small yet confident grin that she was able to relax.

"I think I would like that very much," she replied, giving him her own small grin. Without any further word, she slipped out of the twins' grasp and took the pale hand extended to her.

Hikaru and Kaoru had allowed their jaws to hang open, too stunned for words or actions. Together with the others, they watched as Nekozawa quickly guided their guest away, stopping only for Rin to pick her bag up from the ground.

Nekozawa gave them one final, threatening look before slamming the door shut behind them. The Hosts gave each other startled and confused looks before looking back and discovering that the black carved doors were no longer there.

**…**

Rin let out a loud sigh and slumped into one of the seats in the darkened classroom. Nekozawa slid dazedly into the one right behind her, his heart racing at the thought of his own audacity. _Never_ had he stood up like that to anyone! _Never! _

He looked over at the girl he'd successfully liberated and allowed himself a small smile. "Are you doing all right? They didn't startle you too badly, did they?"

Rin turned and offered him a very weak smile. "I think I'll be okay. I'm just a bit bewildered by this place – I didn't think Ouran Academy would be this taxing."

"I'm sorry about that."

She waved his apology aside. "Don't be. It isn't your fault this place is full of wackos. Speaking of which, how did you find out that those Host Club nuts were holding me hostage?"

"I ran into their manager when I went to see if you were in your classroom."

Rin frowned. "Why were you checking to see if I was in my classroom?"

Nekozawa felt an unnatural heat rise to his face. "Well, I, uh…" he chuckled nervously. "Belzenef and I… we have something for you."

Rin blinked several times. Without waiting for her response, Nekozawa rose and crossed over to the desk he'd placed the bag behind. Returning with the package, he set it on the desk table in front of Rin and proceeded back to the seat he'd sunken into moments ago.

"What's this?" she asked, looking at the bag a bit uncertainly.

"Something that might help you to, ah, _blend in_ better…"

She glanced in his direction at the vague answer. Turning back to the bag, she felt her old friend Curiosity getting restless again.

"_It looks like your curiosity finally got the better of you."_

She shook herself mentally and peered into the bag.

The unused science classroom was unnervingly quiet. At first Nekozawa thought she'd be angry. Her lack of response made him begin to fret – what if his kind gesture had offended her?

"Nekozawa-sempai…" she began at long last. The Black Magic Club President felt his blood run cold.

"Y-y-y –" he gulped. "Yes?"

Rin turned and smiled brilliantly at him, hugging one of the jackets up against her. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed. "You have absolutely no idea how much having these uniforms means to me!"

Nekozawa felt his face become extraordinarily warm upon hearing her words. "W-well, I couldn't just let you wander about in what you had. It would only attract negative attention and, well…" he had to take in a _very_ deep breath. "Belzenef and I just wanted to help. I hope we got the right sizes, though."

Rin's smile only grew more. "You both did just fine. I don't think sizes will be a problem." She looked down warmly at the uniform jacket, admiring it almost as if were something precious. "These uniforms are really expensive, and the scholarship didn't cover it so wasn't sure if I'd be able to get one. This really means a lot to me, so… thank you. You and Belzenef."

He pulled down his hood and grinned back her, Belzenef raising upward and rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "It was our pleasure. After all, we're friends now. And if you need anything, feel free to ask."

Rin nodded and continued to smile. She never would have voiced this out loud to anyone, never would have wanted to even admit it silently to herself, but what Umehito Nekozawa had done for her meant a great deal. It made her feel more than welcome – she felt wanted.

This was the first time that she'd ever been accepted by an outsider. It was a good feeling. She couldn't wait to tell Yamanouchi about it.

**…**

"Well, I think it's safe to conclude that Rin is definitely female," said Kyoya, continuing his ritualistic writing in his notebook despite the recent upset.

"Nekozawa-sempai _was_ awfully intent of getting Rin out of here…" Haruhi remarked, putting a finger to her chin. "Do you think those two are friends or something?"

"I doubt it," Hikaru snorted. "That guy's so wrapped up in his black magic that I doubt he has any 'friends' to begin with. At least ones other than that Belzenef doll he carries around with him everywhere."

"Still, it _was_ pretty strange how he just snatched her up like that." Kaoru frowned in thinking. Despite the insanity and having only just met the enigma, he was starting to like the idea of having Rin around. There was something about her that confused and interested him all that once, and all he did was look into her eyes.

'_And what was with that, anyway?'_ he wondered. _'I feel like I've met her before. Or someone really close to her…'_

"You know what I think?" Everyone looked in the direction of the Host King, who was now looking adoringly at the spot where Nekozawa's mysterious disappearing doors had been.

"No… what?" Haruhi inquired cautiously, not too certain whether she wanted to hear the theory about to be presented.

"I think Nekozawa-sempai has at long last been hit by Cupid's arrow!" he announced, a bright aura radiating around him and rose petals descending from somewhere above him.

Hikaru snorted in laughter, and Kaoru failed miserably at preventing himself from doing the same.

'_Love!'_ they thought hysterically. It was such a ridiculous notion!

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Oh the irony. Those twins have no idea what's in store for them (although Kaoru's more likely to figure things out than Hikaru… maybe…). Until the next update! ^_^_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note:**__ Hi there! How is everyone doing? Sorry for not being able to update sooner – so many things to do!_

_For anyone who's interested, __**Under the Cover of Darkness**__, a companion story set later in the __**True Confessions**__ timeline, is currently up and running. Feel free to check it out if you haven't already. I endeavor to finish it by Halloween. ^_^_

_And now, the long-awaited Chapter 7!_

* * *

_modorenai kara kaerenai kara  
inochi wo karashite  
toozakaru ano hi to nakusu bakari no kono ude ga  
kimi no nukumori ni kogarete*_  
– Abingdon Boys School_, Strength_

**Chapter 7: Anniversary**

After that incident with Nekozawa rescuing her from Music Room 3, Rin made certain to avoid the Host Club members and blatantly ignored the three she shared a classroom with. It seemed like an eternity before at long last the final bell of the school day rung crisp and clear, signaling Rin's chance for escape.

Casting aside the fervent invitations of her peers for her to convene with them, Rin made a break for the exit. Technically it wasn't the end of the actual school day: this was the scheduled time slot for club activities. Being as she wasn't involved in any clubs and wasn't facing detention, Rin had no reason to stick around Ouran Academy at the end of the day. She felt absolutely no remorse as she darted from the double-doors and ran along the manicured lawns.

"And there she goes," Kaoru lamented from his spot at the window, leaning against the cool glass. His arms were folded and his face considering, as if he were mulling over some great puzzle.

"She got away just before we could grab her," Hikaru sighed, standing next to his brother in a similarly contemplative pose. "That's pretty disappointing. And just when I thought things were going to get interesting around here again."

"I wonder where she could be going in such a hurry," said Kaoru, frowning down at the cross-dressed girl's fleeting figure. "Ouran doesn't allow us to have jobs, so she couldn't be going anywhere important."

"Maybe she has to meet someone."

"Like who? Didn't Kyoya-sempai say she lives alone?"

Hikaru's face fell. "Yeah, he did. You think she has an appointment?"

"Could be, but I don't know…" Kaoru looked at his twin to find a confused look etched on the older boy's face. "Rin's been a pretty suspicious character so far. Maybe we should keep an eye on her."

"I agree," Hikaru concurred, golden eyes glancing back down to find their subject of conversation no longer within viewing range. "Who knows? She might actually be fun to play with."

"Yeah." Kaoru sighed inwardly. _'Play with her?'_ he shook his head. _'It __**sounds**__ like fun, but why do I get the feeling that Rin isn't someone you can acknowledge casually? Just based on how she acted around us today tells me that there's more to her than meets the eye. Like, why was she pretending to be a boy? And why did she freak out like that when we saw right through it? It doesn't make any sense. And her eyes…'_

"_Can you tell? Which of us is Kaoru, and which of us is Hikaru?"_

_The girl hesitated, eyes widening. "Well… I think… __**you're**__ Hikaru…"_

"_You two really love that game, don't you?" the maid said, smiling down at the little boys inconceivably dressed in frilly girl attire. "I wonder what you'll do when someone guesses correctly…"_

Kaoru shook himself mentally. Those eyes… they were the same and yet so different. Rin's eyes reminded him so much of two distinctly different individuals: one innocent, one insidious. Some random little girl who'd shown up out of the blue the winter after the sole person he and his brother looked up to and admired had subsequently betrayed them. That maid…

"Hey, Kaoru?" Golden eyes snapped up to find an identical set staring at him concernedly. "Are you okay? You kinda spaced out there."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied, offering his brother a quirky grin. "Just thinking, that's all." He glanced over to the elegant clock hanging in the hall and felt his heart jump. "Hey, we'd better get going if we don't want to be late!"

Hikaru's eyes widened in realization as he, too, looked at the time. The two locked eyes briefly before breaking into a run, headed in the direction of Music Room #3.

**…**

Rin sprinted down the street, flying around the many corners and dodging motorists as fast as her legs would carry her. It would be another few hours before her shift started, leaving her enough time to do the one thing she'd been unable to do before school.

It didn't seem all that long before she found herself huffing and panting outside the tall gates of her destination, the lingering smoke of incense poking through and infusing the city air around her. Taking a shaky breath, Rin straightened both herself and her bag before tentatively stepping foot onto the property.

Fear and calm simultaneously washed over her; expectation and foreboding gaining momentum with each pounding heartbeat. It had been just over a year since that time and she still wasn't able to handle this. No matter how often she visited, there was that overbearing weight of loss and surrealism that she just couldn't seem overcome.

Rin shook herself mentally; this was absolutely ridiculous. Cemeteries were peaceful and calm – only a real lowlife would think to desecrate hallowed grounds. Even with just a quick scan, she could tell that the only people here were the few hunched over incense offerings just in front of small familial shrines and grave markers.

'_There's nothing to be afraid of.'_

Hitching the strap on her shoulder in a gesture meant more to ease her rattling nerves than actually straighten her bag, Rin walked down the now sadly familiar rows past the multitude of wooden and stone monuments; many were worn, others looked painfully new.

'_Everyday there's sadness… and there's nothing you can do to stop it…'_

Her heart panged at the thought and Rin had to quickly squeeze her eyes shut to block out the unwanted memories. In the grand scheme of things, maybe she really was useless…

The grave stopped at only seemed to compound the fact.

魂  
崎  
菖  
蒲

Ayame Tamashīzaki. Her best friend, her confidante, partner-in-crime…

"Hi, Mom," she said, breaking into a small smile as she dropped her bag to the side. She knelt down and sat down next to the marker rather than sitting across from it. She leaned up against the sun warmed stone and sighed. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to visit before. It's been really crazy getting the transfer settled and everything." She picked up the small photo on the altar and smiled at the dark-haired woman grinning mischievously up at her. "I finally got into Ouran, just like you wanted. I'll tell you what, it's a weird place."

Rin reached over and snatched her bag up. She unzipped it and pulled up the clothing from bottom. From under the coat she revealed a purple and black ensemble. "I finally got a job – a real job, I mean – and it's pretty fun. The outfit's actually not all that bad, but it's kinda hard trying to fill out orders when you've got students trying to flirt with you." She laughed dryly. "But you did this once, right? I'll bet you had more fun beating up suitors than anything else."

She almost heard her mother laughing in agreement.

"And they weren't kidding when they said it's all in the tips – the pay's good, but the tips are even better! I didn't even think I'd make that much in my first month, but I did really well." A light breeze played against the loose strands of hair. Rin reached up and pulled the band off, allowing her hair to settle against the back of her neck. "Sure beats the crap I had to deal with before."

Another yank from the bag revealed a dusty coat of black; white insignia ran down the exposed arm. Rin scowled at it fiercely, eyes darting from it to the row that was currently devoid of life.

"I finally got out of it," she whispered, allowing the fabric to settle into her lap. "An entire year of total crap and I finally managed to wriggle out of everything." She laughed ruefully. "I'm free again; can you believe it? I'm in Ouran and I even made a friend! His name's Umehito Nekozawa – I think you would've liked him. Kinda weird, but really nice. And I've still got Yamanouchi – you remember him, don't you? And there're Patches and Perry who've both gotten even fluffier… and Mi-chan…"

Rough but slender fingers clenched the coat's material roughly.

"I-I haven't seen her, Mom," she said through clenched teeth. "Not since I made the decision to transfer after I took the entrance exams. I don't even know what school she's going to or if Aunt Tomoe shipped her off somewhere. And Uncle Kenichi's never home, so he probably wouldn't know anything even if I managed to get a hold of him." _'Damn it.'_ "What good is being the next of kin if you can't do anything important? All I did was fill out a shitload of papers and look where it got me."

Rin squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to stop the swimming scenery. Her eyes stung.

"Sorry, Mom. I guess I'm still trying to get a grip on myself," she apologized, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "But I had to tell you so you wouldn't have to worry about me anymore."

The head of ashen blonde snapped back up, eyes red and puffed from stifled tears as Rin smiled at the humble grave marker.

"Well, enough all that sad stuff! Let me tell you about Ouran Academy! I swear it's like a looney bin!"

**…**

Some hours later, when the last of the guests had been shooed away and the tea sets and plates had been cleaned and placed away, the now five members of the Ouran Academy's Host Club lounged about in various positions in Music Room #3. The only person not technically lounging was Kyoya, who was sitting upright and typing furiously on his laptop whilst calculating the afternoon's profits.

"Well, Kyoya? How'd we do?" Tamaki inquired from his flopped position in one of the plush armchairs.

The Shadow King remained silent for a moment before turning to his companions. To their surprise, he looked pleased.

"We've had a 12.7% increase from last year's opening day. That's quite a jump, considering we only had a 7.6% increase previously."

Tamaki let out a cheer as the twins clapped. Haruhi couldn't help but smile. Their first day back and they were experiencing an increase. Definitely a good sign.

"However…" and yet there was always a hitch.

"However…?" Tamaki prompted, looking at his friend with one elegantly raised eyebrow.

The Shadow King frowned. "We would have experienced a better turn of profit if Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai had managed to arrive."

"Well, they're in college now, so –"

"SURPRISE!" a cheery familiar voice cried, causing the entire group to turn around abruptly. To their shared surprise, a tall figure with a tiny blond carrying a pink stuffed bunny were standing over the threshold, both smiling in their own way.

"Honey-sempai! And Mori-sempai, too!" Tamaki sprang up from his lounging position and bounded over towards the cousins. "I never thought you'd come back! But now I can see that my fears have been allayed!"

"Haru-chan!" Haruhi let out a loud _oomph_ when the exuberant blond college student launched himself onto her. "Wow, you look even prettier than the last time we saw you! And taller, too!"

"It's great to see you, too!" she replied, giving him a hug in return. She looked over and smiled at the man in the doorway. "Hi, Mori-sempai!"

"Hey."

"So, Mori-sempai, any good-looking girls over at the college?" Hikaru wheedled, sidling up to the kendo champ.

Not to anyone's surprise, he didn't respond.

"Well, now that everyone's back together, I have an announcement to make!" Tamaki proclaimed, jabbing a finger into the air.

"Uh, oh…" said the twins.

The Host King pointedly glared at the two before clearing his throat and addressing his audience.

"Being as this is the first day back at school and the Host Club is already turning a profit, I've decided that we go for a third wonder and have ourselves an official outing!"

"An outing? On a school night?" Haruhi looked at him incredulously. "Sempai!"

"Now, now, Haruhi my dear, you needn't fret about a thing," he said with a wag of his finger. "Where we are going is incognito but stylish; a chance to mingle with commoners while maintaining a degree a superiority."

"And what would that be?" Kyoya inquired, looking curious despite himself. He really didn't want to have anything to do with another one of Tamaki's "commoner outings", but this sounded interesting.

"Simple!" said their self-proclaimed Fearless Leader. He whipped out a paper from his breast pocket and waved it before their eyes. "It's called a Night Club!"

"A night club?" the twins gasped. They looked at one another in disbelief. Had Tamaki really flipped his lid?

"Hold on a second, Boss," Hikaru protested. "Aren't night clubs supposed to be in the red light district?"

"You wouldn't really take us to a place like that… would you?" Haruhi and Honey-sempai exchanged slightly fearful glances.

The Host King's jaw dropped dramatically. "How could you insinuate such a thing? Must you jump to such conclusions? I mean, really now!"

"So where is it?" Kyoya demanded, not at all liking the idea of anything involving loud, obnoxious music and strobe lights.

"It's actually a little place in Shinjuku, just before you cross over into Shibuya," said Tamaki, brandishing his flyer yet again. "This little placed opened up only recently, but I've heard it's a big hit among high school and college students. It's a non-alcoholic establishment opened to teens ages thirteen and up. It has music, karaoke, contests, dancing, and all sorts of other things we can do!"

Kyoya snatched the flyer from the blond and looked down at it suspiciously.

"The entrance fee is ridiculously affordable…" he muttered.

Kaoru snatched the flyer next.

"The Natsu Yokaze Club," he read aloud, raising an eyebrow at the black-and-amethyst flame motif. Hikaru peered over his shoulder and whistled lowly.

"They even have waitresses… I wonder what their outfits look like."

"Probably nothing scandalous," Kaoru said in mock disappointment. Hikaru feigned a long-suffering sigh. "Oh, well. As long as it isn't cheap cosplay. That would be embarrassing."

The twins shuddered simultaneously. Being the sons of a famous fashion designer, the very idea made them cringe in horror.

Haruhi took the opportunity to take the flyer from the twins and read over it carefully.

"It sounds okay… I guess…" she said to no one in particular.

"Then it's settled!" Tamaki's loud proclamation caused them all to jump. "This evening, the Host Club makes its first outing to the Natsu Yokaze Club! And all fees will be paid through the Host Club's personal account!"

The round of cheers and applauding effectively drowned out the sound of Kyoya's pencil snapping as he took notes off to the side.

Oh, yes, Tamaki was in fine form today, the bespectacled boy noted. _Very_ fine form.

* * *

***Translation:**  
_Because I can't return, because I can't go back,  
I gave up my life  
That distant day and these hands that lose everything  
Yearn for your warmth_

* * *

_**A/N:**__ And in the next chapter, our lovely Host Club has an unexpected encounter! Until the next time! ^_^_


End file.
